The Prophecy
by mshutts
Summary: Sesshoumaru was told over 300 years ago that he had to find his one true mate or all hope for the world was lost. He's still looking. SessInu
1. Seeing the Witch

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki (I'm a native English speaker, so sorry if that name actually means something, I just liked the way it looked)

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Chapter 1: Seeing the Witch

Sesshoumaru stood on the side of the cliff, looking down at the waterfall contemplatively. He had left Rin and Jaken back at the palace a few days earlier with strict instructions not to leave the grounds. It would not be safe for his young charge to be out during this time of the year.

Sesshoumaru sighed. He hated this time of the year: mating season. It would begin in a few days and last for a moon cycle. He just wished it were over with already. He had no hope left about ever finding his mate. 'That old hag lied,' he thought to himself bitterly.

He remembered that day like it was yesterday. He had been merely four hundred and fifty years old at the time. His father and mother had been attempting to find him a suitable mate for the last fifty years. They had brought forth everyone they thought might be suitable some of whom seemed to be rather questionable in taste. However, despite their efforts, none of the potential mates made even the slightest impression on Sesshoumaru.

As a last resort, his parents had brought him before an old witch. They had desired to know what the problem with their son was. His parents had begun to fear that he would never take a mate and would not be able to produce an heir because of it. Sesshoumaru had been reluctant to see this witch, but he did not want to appear disrespectful and so went along with his parents' decision without complaint.

As they entered the room, Sesshoumaru took note of how the place was filled with an almost overwhelming number of smells. He silently wondered how his mother and father were able to stand it, yet remained impassive himself. The floors were covered with jars and there was a short table with a shallow bowl in the center of it in the middle of the room. The witch was not in the room at present, but he could hear her behind the mat that covered the doorway which obviously led to a sleeping chamber.

Sesshoumaru watched his mother and father exchange a look before his father cleared his throat. "Ahem. Lady Sturaki? We have come to seek your wisdom."

There was another sound of movement in the back room, this time closer to the mat. A moment later, the mat was pushed to the side and a very short woman came out. She came to no higher than Sesshoumaru's waist and had a head of black hair that was pulled back in a bun. She had a very lithe figure and her eyes appeared to be almost pools of liquid silver.

Sturaki looked them each over from where she stood before she opened her mouth to speak. "Ah yes, the Lord and Lady of the West and their son. Why is it you have traveled so far to see this witch?" she asked, with an indication that they should sit down around the table, which they did.

Again, his father spoke, "We have come to ask a question of you."

"A question? What sort of question?"

This time his mother spoke, "We are concerned for our son, Lady Sturaki."

"And what need have you to be concerned for your son, Lady of the West?"

"Our son has seen four hundred and fifty summers, yet he is still without a mate."

"Have you not asked among the available demonesses? Surely they would be of greater assistance to you than this old witch."

His father grew impatient. "If it were that simple, we would have already done it! We have already introduced him to every available demoness in the land. We have been trying to find his mate for the last 50 years! Do you think we are so simple minded as to not have considered that option first!"

Sesshoumaru watched silently as his mother put out an arm to his father. He visibly calmed from his rant and she began to speak again. "As my mate was attempting to explain, we have already searched high and low for our son's mate. We are here to ask you if he even has a mate. And, if he does, how can we find her? We are greatly concerned by the lack of an heir."

Sturaki remained silent for a moment, watching his parents carefully before turning to him. "And what says you, child? Why have you not found a mate out of all the demonesses that have been brought before you?"

Sesshoumaru looked at her a moment, contemplating what possible angle she might have. He had just not been interested in any of the demonesses. If he was only to have one mate for the rest of his life, he wanted it to be someone he was at least remotely interested in. The demonesses who had been brought before him were either simpering fools or only interested in the wealth and power that would come from being mate to the next lord of the west. He had no time for such idiocy or attachments.

However, the truth was not always the best way to answer a question, especially with his parents sitting right there. So, he opted for a half-truth instead. "I have not found a suitable demoness as of yet."

The witch raised a brow. "Is that so?" she asked with an amused tone to her voice. "Well then, perhaps I shall be able to help you in finding one." With that, she stood and began to gather various jars from around the room, placing them on the table as she did so.

When she had collected a dozen jars, she returned to her seat on the floor. As Sesshoumaru watched in concealed fascination, she began to pull items out of the collected jars and place them in the bowl that was in the center of the table.

With all her 'ingredients' in place, she took one finger and swirled it through the mass that was now in the bowl. A cloud of gray-bluish smoke rose from the bowl as she did so. With a look of utmost concentration, Sturaki stared into the smoke.

After a time, they heard her mumble, "Ah, yes, of course."

Unable to remain silent any longer, Sesshoumaru's mother spoke up. "What is it? What do you see?"

Sturaki looked to his mother with a small smile. "Worry not, Lady of the West, your son does indeed have a mate."

With a great sigh of relief, his father asked, "Where then might we find this demoness? Where have we not yet searched?"

"The future," she responded, now looking directly at Sesshoumaru. "Your mate has not yet been born, child."

If anything, his parents became even more worried. "How far into the future do you mean?" his mother asked warily.

Turning her gaze to his mother, Sturaki replied, "Your son's mate will be born in over 100 years from now."

As Sesshoumaru tried to process this information, he heard his father exclaim, "Over a 100 years! How are we supposed to wait that long for an heir?"

"You must wait and you will, Lord of the West. Your son and his mate are very important to the future of this world and the fates cannot be rushed. If he does not find his correct mate, I fear for us all."

At this, Seshoumaru broke his silence. "How will I know that it is my correct mate?"

Sturaki gave him a sweet smile. "You will know, child. Your senses will be overwhelmed, your heart will race and you will feel the inexorable pull on your very soul to be with your mate. All you need do is be open to it."

With these words, Sturaki stood and began to put her jars away, effectively dismissing them. As his parents thanked her for her time, Sesshoumaru headed to the door. So, he had a mate, she just hadn't been born yet. With a start, he realized this meant he did not even have to consider finding his mate for at least another 100 years. He almost grinned.

With a growl, Sesshoumaru pulled himself back to the present. He had been so pleased at the idea of his parents ceasing the parade of demonesses before him at the time. He had had no idea then that later on he would find himself completely incapable of finding his mate, even after over 300 years had passed. He wondered if it was possible that his mate was still yet to be born.

Over the past 250 years, Sesshoumaru had taken it upon himself to meet every new female demoness that was born, always wondering if this demoness was the one who would one day be his mate. He had yet to feel even remotely attracted to any of them and, as the years went by, he had begun to convince himself that there most likely was no mate for him and that old hag had been lying after all.

As he was contemplating yet another mating season spent alone, it never occurred to Sesshoumaru that he might have been wrong or that he and his parents might have completely misinterpreted the witch's words.


	2. Just Another Day

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

A/N: In regards to Inuyasha's personality: Most of this chapter takes place inside Inuyasha's thoughts. Based on the fact that he has lived alone as long as he has and the way in which he fights demons, I think that Inuyasha is most likely very intelligent. I think the 'dumbness' is probably more from that being what everyone has always expected of him and him not wanting to be bothered with changing people's opinions than that he actually is 'dumb'. In other words, he acts dumb for the sake of his audience, not because he actually is dumb. Besides, if your enemy thinks you're an idiot, they won't think to look for a more complex fighting style. Sorry, just trying to nip flames in the bud.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

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Chapter 2: Just Another Day with the Shard Hunters

Inuyasha was feeling more irritable than usual. It seemed like every time they started making progress, something else came up. So far today: Shippo had tripped and scraped his knee, Sango had knocked Miroku unconscious (again), Kirara still couldn't fly because of an injury in their last battle so they were all stuck walking, and now Kagome was going on about some test she had to take back home in a day or two.

Inuyasha crossed his arms with a huff. Kagome, of course, took this as an insult to whatever she had been babbling about and sat him. Given how his day had been going, Inuyasha gave serious consideration to just staying in the hole made by that 'sit' for the rest of the day.

Apparently he had given it a little too much consideration for he now had Kagome standing worriedly over top of him. He heard the tentative, "Inuyasha, are you alright?" and knew he had to get up fast before she got into full 'mother hen' mode.

Not wasting another moment, he shoved himself into an upright position with his hands. "Damn it, wench, I'm fine," he stated, going around Kagome. He knew that saying anything else would only get him sat again and he really wasn't in the mood for it.

However, in his head, he continued to rant. 'How dare she do that to me? So I don't want to listen to her talk about her school. So what? It's not like what she does there has any impact on me or our hunt, except for constantly dragging her away.'

He forcibly closed off the avenue to those thoughts with a sigh. He wasn't really all that mad at Kagome or even any of the others. It wasn't their fault he was feeling irritable. Shippo was, after all, just a runt. He had tripped and fallen just as much when he was his age. Kirara had gotten injured protecting Sango because he couldn't get over there fast enough. If Kirara's injured state was anyone's fault, it was his own.

As for Kagome, he was pissed that she kept jumping back and forth to her world, but on one level, he understood the reason for it. She was, after all, still under the rule of her mother and grandfather. If she did not return for these tests of hers, he was not entirely sure that her mother would continue to allow her to come through the well, but just because he understood the reason, didn't mean he was going to stop trying to keep her here.

By his line of reasoning, the only thing allowing her mother and grandfather to keep charge over her was the continuing presence of the well. Currently, the only thing stopping him from just going ahead and destroying it was the sure knowledge that Kagome would be completely miserable for weeks, months, or even years afterward. There were few things in this world worse than a miserable Kagome.

He supposed that he could try and blame it all on Miroku. After all, he should have been able to help himself and not touched Sango, thereby, not getting knocked unconscious. Then again, for as annoying as it was to constantly have to stop and pick him up from the ground, it was also damn funny to watch Sango take him out.

Inuyasha mentally shook his head. He knew the real reason he was irritated actually had nothing to do with his companions. It had to do with the fact that mating season was coming up in a few days. He hated mating season.

For an entire moon cycle his body and everything around him would be calling out for him to find and take a mate. While his demon blood may not have cared who his mate was, his human blood was a bit pickier. If he was going to spend the rest of his life with someone, he wanted it to be someone he cared for. And, given his current situation, he knew that this was just going to be one more mating season where he would be without a mate.

It wasn't as if he had never considered taking someone as a mate, but he wanted a willing mate or none at all. He had considered asking Kikyo for all of about 5 minutes. He knew she was completely against his demon heritage, always had been. She never would have even considered the idea.

He had also considered Kagome. In all honesty, he had taken the thought of asking her to be his mate quite seriously. However, in the end, he had decided against it for a number of reasons, the main one being that while in his world she was an adult, in her world, she was still just a child. She was also not exactly mature enough yet to handle the responsibility of being a mate and mother to his pups. All he had to do was look at how she was around Shippo to come to that conclusion. He would be damned if he was going to allow his children to be raised in such a manner. No, Kagome was definitely not mate material. Not yet anyway, maybe in another 5 or so years, but that would be of no help to him now.

He had tried to find a mate before he had met Kikyo, but no one had wanted to even talk to a lowly hanyou, let alone consider mating one. It wasn't so very long ago that he had been completely despondent about the idea of ever finding a mate. At least now he had a possible option in a handful of years when Kagome was a little more mature. Assuming she hadn't left them all by then.

While Inuyasha was musing, the sun had begun to set and he could hear his companions making noises about stopping for the night. With a "Keh," he jumped up onto a tree branch and let them finish their business. Watching them go about their self-appointed tasks, Inuyasha idly wondered to himself if Sesshoumaru was having any better luck in finding a mate. Somehow, he seriously doubted it.

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Thank you all for reading and reviewing. You don't have to review, but I do appreciate hearing what you think.


	3. Drawn Together

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

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Chapter 3: Drawn Together

He was doing it again, he realized with a growl. He forced himself to stop walking. Oddly, it was more difficult to stop himself from continuing on than it normally was. He wondered if it was because most of his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his search for a mate.

He'd figured out what he was doing decades ago when he had once again been wandering his lands aimlessly only to find himself in the same area as his little brother, again. It had been a great annoyance to him.

He had thought that the half-breed was following him somehow. However, after much thought and several years of consideration, he realized that this was most likely not the case. Sesshoumaru had found, upon observing the circumstances in which he would suddenly find himself in his younger brother's presence, that it only occurred when he began walking with no real destination in mind. For some reason, he seemed to subconsciously know exactly where Inuyasha was at all times.

This knowledge had bothered him for years there after. If he was being completely honest, it still did. He could remember one occasion, almost 150 years ago when he had all of the sudden felt the need to go out for a walk. With Jaken running behind trying to catch up, he had quickly and unerringly covered many ri of land only to find himself being nearly overwhelmed by the scent of Inuyasha's blood.

Despite himself, Sesshoumaru had become concerned. If the amount of blood he smelled was correct, the pup should be dead. The thought of Inuyasha's death had greatly bothered him for some unknown reason. He had felt the need to make absolutely certain that this would not come to be, thus had begun one of the strangest periods of his life.

He had spent the next three weeks after finding the very young Inuyasha at death's door looking after his little brother. For some reason, he could not bring himself to just leave. Sesshoumaru, who had never taken care of anyone's wounds except his own, had found himself playing willing nursemaid to a little half-breed whelp that was a dishonor to his family's name. He blamed it on temporary insanity. To this day, he highly doubted that Inuyasha even remembered the incident.

Sesshoumaru, however, remembered the events quite clearly even now. When he had come upon Inuyasha, he had appeared to have been rather severely mauled. If Sesshoumaru had to guess, he would have said it was most likely a bear demon that was the culprit, but why the demon had just left instead of eating the hanyou was unknown to him. Perhaps a larger predator had come along and scared off the demon before he could complete the kill.

Inuyasha had been covered in blood from head to toe and, without thinking on the matter first, Sesshoumaru had lifted the small, battered body and carried him to a nearby stream. Ignoring Jaken's incoherent babbling in the background, Sesshoumaru had gently stripped and then cleaned the blood off the boy.

Finally able to make a true assessment of the damage, Sesshoumaru was shocked that his baby brother was still alive. Initially upon seeing the child, he had thought that the quantity of blood was just making the wounds appear worse than they actually were. Now, with a cleaned body, he realized that they were, in fact, worse than he had originally thought even with the blood. By all rights, Inuyasha should have been dead.

Sesshoumaru had felt an inexplicable rage coming over him at the thought. 'How dare anyone try to kill my baby brother? Inuyasha is mine.' A growl came up in the back of his throat, but he forced it down out of a feeling of necessity due to the constant presence of his servant. It would not do to show any sign of this event affecting him in front of Jaken.

All the same, his internal reaction shocked him. What could have possessed him to think something as absurd as that? Why would he even care if Inuyasha was dead? Inuyasha was a blemish on his great father's name. He should have been killed by their father at birth. It was just the way things worked.

With much consideration, during which he unthinkingly patched up his baby brother's wounds with ripped strips of his own clothing, he came to the conclusion that that must be it. It had been his father's responsibility to remove the half-breed from the world. His father had died before doing so. Therefore, the responsibility for this act now fell onto his shoulders as his father's heir.

It all made perfect sense. He was only enraged that another demon was trying to take away his kill. Satisfied for the moment with his rationalizations, Sesshoumaru turned his attention back to the child in his arms. With shock he realized that while he had been arguing with himself, he had finished bandaging the abused body of his half-brother and was now holding Inuyasha, covered in bandages and wrapped in the outer layer of his fire rat.

Looking at the helpless pup in his arms, Sesshoumaru rather easily came to the conclusion that he could not find any honor in killing Inuyasha while he was like this. Not only was he completely defenseless, he was half-dead already. Killing him now would be a completely unacceptable way for one of his father's children to die, even though he was a half-breed. No, he would wait until the pup was healed, then he would kill him.

Seeing that night had already fallen and there was really no more he could do at this time, Sesshoumaru told Jaken to go to sleep and leaned against a nearby tree, all the while holding the little hanyou. As he fell asleep, he did not even notice that he had unconsciously buried his nose into the crook of Inuyasha's neck.

As the weeks went past, he watched his baby brother get better and better under his care. One day, three weeks after the pup had been found, Sesshoumaru realized that Inuyasha would in fact be well enough to be considered fit to take care of himself again by tomorrow. (Well, as fit as such a young pup could ever be to take care of oneself.)

As he considered this, he made a decision. Lowering one such as himself to kill such a young pup, even if he was a half-breed and no longer a step away from death, would not be overly honorable of him. After all, this whelp really stood no chance against him. Not that he ever would, but Sesshoumaru decided he could at least try to make it a more interesting fight.

With this in mind, Sesshoumaru abruptly stood and walked away from the half-breed. Disregarding the fact that his baby brother was still mostly unconscious, he coldly shot back to him, "I will not kill you just yet, half-breed. When you are old enough to fight back, I will return and take your life. Until then, remember that your life is mine and your death is mine, no one else shall kill you but I."

That statement had brought him to his current predicament with his little brother. He had wanted to wait until Inuyasha was strong enough to fight him. Sometimes in his deepest thoughts he wondered if he might not have waited too long. His little brother was no longer the easy-to-kill whelp that he had helped all those years ago. But, be that as it may, the past could not be changed and Sesshoumaru was not known for dwelling on such things.

As he was musing on the past, Sesshoumaru found that he had resumed moving towards his brother's current location. With a feeling of frustration that he did not allow to show on his face, he allowed himself to continue on towards his little brother. With any luck, there would actually be a reason for him to go there this time.

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Once again, thank you for reading and leaving reviews.


	4. A Drunken Encounter

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest, additional warning for this chapter: encouraging underage persons to drink (not that I support it, but it fits for the story)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

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Chapter 4: A Drunken Encounter

Thinking about mating season and Sesshoumaru in the same thought always reminded Inuyasha of the single most crazy encounter he could recall having ever had with his brother. It had been a few days before mating season began, almost 100 years ago.

He had been all of the human equivalent of 10 years old at the time. From past experience, he knew that it was not smart to be out and about during mating season if one could help it. He was in the process of gathering enough edible plants to last him the moon cycle as well as looking for an unassuming cave to hide out in when he suddenly caught the scent of his big brother.

He instinctively froze in fear, waiting for his elder sibling to come to him. Inuyasha had never really been sure what exactly to make of Sesshoumaru. He was almost twice his size and tended to have a rather vicious and unpredictable temper where he was concerned.

When they would meet in passing, he would sometimes find himself talking to his elder brother about things and Sesshoumaru would almost look like he actually might have cared or was paying attention to what he had to say. Inuyasha could even think of a few occasions where Sesshoumaru had actually answered a question he had posed. Then, out of the blue, his older brother would suddenly insult or backhand him for no apparent reason. From Inuyasha's perspective, it was almost as if Sesshoumaru had bouts when he temporarily forgot he wasn't supposed to have anything to do with Inuyasha before abruptly returning to reality and once again shoving his younger brother away.

Despite the fact that Sesshoumaru was occasionally good for small conversations with the incredibly socially deprived hanyou, Inuyasha was sure that, with the approach of mating season, his brother would not be in one of his briefly talkative moods. In fact, he was fully expecting one of their more violent encounters which normally consisted of Sesshoumaru beating him into the ground and then informing him that he was still not worth his time to kill and leaving. Inuyasha found it to be very frustrating.

As such, he was shocked when Sesshoumaru did not appear in his field of vision within the next few seconds. He knew for a fact that his elder brother had a much better sense of smell than he did and should have known he was coming from quite a ways away. He sniffed the air once more to make sure he, indeed, smelled his brother and not just an old scent trail.

The smell that came back to him was definitely that of his brother. It was strong enough to indicate that he was really there, not just an old scent trail, but there was another smell mixed with the scent he knew so well. Taking a deeper sniff, Inuyasha placed the other scent. Sake. Quite a bit of it too if he didn't miss his guess.

By smell, Sesshoumaru was obviously alone and Inuyasha had never even considered that his prim and proper older sibling might drink by himself. It didn't fit in with the world as Inuyasha saw it and, even though he was positive it was a bad idea, he couldn't help but move closer to see this oddity with his own eyes.

As he walked closer, he was glad that he was standing downwind. At least this way, he would have a bit of an advantage over Sesshoumaru even if it was only because his elder brother was drinking. He continued to follow the scent to the edge of the tree line that opened into a small clearing.

Across the clearing, he could see his big brother, sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree with a bottle in his hand. The bottle was half empty and looked to soon be joining its 5 empty compatriots on the ground next to him if the speed at which he was consuming the liquid was any indication.

As Inuyasha watched, with his jaw dropped, Sesshoumaru finished off the 6th bottle, threw it to the side to rest with its friends and, reaching into a bag that Inuyasha had not yet noticed, pulled out another bottle and opened it, lifting it to his mouth.

Just then, Inuyasha's luck ran out as the wind shifted directions so he was no longer downwind. He watched his brother stop in mid-drink and sniff the air. Standing perfectly still, Inuyasha hoped that Sesshoumaru would be too drunk to recognize his scent but, as he watched his elder brother put down his drink and look straight at his hiding spot, he knew he had been found out.

Even in his inebriated state, Inuyasha knew that his elder brother could most likely still beat him to a bloody pulp so he decided to wait for Sesshoumaru's next move before he jumped to any conclusions. He watched Sesshoumaru open his mouth with a cringe. Instead of the curses and threats which Inuyasha was fully expecting, he heard, "Ah, Inuyasha. There you are. Come here. Have a seat," and, as if nothing was in the slightest bit unusual about this, Sesshoumaru casually patted the ground right next to him to indicate where this 'seat' of his was supposed to be.

Shocked, Inuyasha tried to decide if this was some sort of trap or not. When he did not move fast enough for Sesshoumaru's liking, he heard, "Come on, Inuyasha. Get your cute little butt over here."

This comment understandably horrified Inuyasha. He could feel thoughts racing through his head, vying for dominance. He latched onto one and spoke it aloud, "Who are you and what have you done with my big brother?"

His response was a low laugh. Inuyasha was almost shaking with fear. His elder brother did NOT laugh. He didn't care if Sesshoumaru was so drunk he couldn't remember his own name, he did not laugh, ever. And yet, here was this being, looking and smelling and even remotely sounding like his brother laughing. It wasn't even a mocking laugh. Sesshoumaru honestly looked amused.

Apparently having realized he was not getting what he wanted, Sesshoumaru suddenly turned from amused to dead serious. "Come here, Inuyasha," he commanded. "I will not ask again."

Easily recognizing that voice from previous experience, Inuyasha hurried to comply. He knew that if he did not, there would be hell to pay for it. As he drew near his brother, he looked expectantly at Sesshoumaru as if asking him what to do now.

Sesshoumaru looked him in the eye for a moment as if searching for something. Apparently, he found what he was looking for because a satisfied look crossed his face and he ordered, "Sit," pointing right where he had previously patted.

This time Inuyasha readily submitted to the command. As soon as he was on the ground with his pack of edible plants behind him, his older brother took the bottle of sake that he had been drinking at the beginning of this and handed it to Inuyasha with the command to drink. Not really wanting to argue while in such close proximity to the elder's backhand, he drank. Besides, he was a little thirsty after all his walking.

Once he saw that his younger brother was drinking, Sesshoumaru seemed to relax back into the state in which Inuyasha had first found him. He pulled a new bottle from his bag and opened it to drink.

As Inuyasha sipped at the sake in his hand, he contemplated his brother's current attitude. Sesshoumaru seemed to be the most relaxed he had even seen him. He was leaning back, drinking as if he didn't have a care in the world and looking rather spacey. Inuyasha wasn't sure just how much liquor his brother could take before he became drunk, but he was pretty sure Sesshoumaru had reached the limit about a bottle ago.

His suspicions were confirmed when Sesshoumaru turned towards him again and ran his fingers through his hair, saying, "You have such pretty hair and cute ears." His brother then got a slightly dreamy look on his face and said in a wistful voice, "You know, sometimes I wish you were a girl."

At this, Inuyasha quickly pulled away and tried to put some space between himself and his brother demanding, "Why the hell would you wish that!"

His abrupt departure from Sesshoumaru's side seemed to have snapped his elder brother out of whatever trance he had been in. With almost lucid eyes, Sesshoumaru looked from the barely touched bottle in his little brother's hand to his little brother. Evidently, Inuyasha was not progressing fast enough in his drinking for the next thing he heard was a return of the derisive voice.

"What's the matter, half-breed? You drink like a newborn pup. Maybe you're not old enough to have this yet," Sesshoumaru taunted, yanking the bottle from his little brother's hand. "I supposesI should have known you couldn't handle it. Maybe I should have offered you a nursemaid instead."

With a growl, Inuyasha yanked the bottle back and chugged the rest of the contents down. He then pulled out another bottle from the bag and began to chug that one as well. Had he been paying more attention, he would have seen the satisfied look on his older brother's face as Sesshoumaru leaned back against his tree to resume his own drinking.

With the lack of food in his stomach (he had opted not to eat dinner earlier), the sake hit Inuyasha like a boulder and he had no more clear memories of what happened that night. Judging from the state that he found himself in upon awaking, however, something must have happened.

When he awoke, he felt like he was going to be sick. The only thing he wanted to do was crawl over to a tree and rid his stomach of its contents. But upon trying to rise, he found himself unable to. His hangover muddled brain was having a hard time processing why he couldn't move and it took a minute for it to sink in.

Somehow, he had ended up falling asleep in his older brother's arms. And, if that wasn't absurd enough, they were both bare chested for some reason. It was a little too much for his brain to handle at the moment. So, instead of dealing with it, he just tried to get out of the situation entirely without waking his possibly volatile brother in the process.

The only problem with that was, whenever he tried to move, his brother shifted his grip so he had a better hold on Inuyasha. Despite this, Inuyasha continued to squirm, attempting to break free only to hear a low growl near his ear. With a start, he remembered just how close to his neck his brother was. If Sesshoumaru wanted to kill him now, he would have absolutely no difficulty in doing so.

With this in mind, Inuyasha renewed his struggles to break free before his big brother awoke and blamed this situation on him. He was just trying to pry one of the hands off him, a claw at a time, when he felt a bite on the back of his neck. He couldn't help it; he was so shocked, he completely forgot about trying not to wake Sesshoumaru and screamed, "Damn it, Sesshoumaru! What in the seven hells do you think you're doing! Get off me!"

He could tell the instant his brother woke up. He was suddenly released and thumped to the ground. A half-second later, he could see Sesshoumaru standing on the other side of the clearing, looking rather skittish.

He listened half-heartedly as Sesshoumaru placed the blame for whatever it was that had happened last night squarely on his younger brother's shoulders. Then, with another threat on his life, Sesshoumaru floated away on his cloud back towards the western lands.

Glad that he had not ended up injured out of that encounter, Inuyasha found the rest of his clothes and put them back on. He looked at his brother's clothes and figured Sesshoumaru would come back for them when he remembered. With a sigh, he decided it would probably be better if he wasn't in the area when his older brother returned.

He picked up his bundle and continued on his way to find a cave to hide in during mating season, trying not to think about the previous night too much. The whole encounter left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and he didn't like it. On the plus side, he no longer felt like he was going to throw up.

To this day, Inuyasha had found himself unable to completely understand that night. One thing that really bothered him about the entire ordeal was when Sesshoumaru had said he wished Inuyasha was a girl. To this day, that comment made no sense to Inuyasha. Why would his older brother want him to be a girl?

He had even considered asking the bastard a few times, but that would mean bringing up the fact that that night ever happened. Neither one of them wanted to do that. That was the first and last time Inuyasha had ever seen Sesshoumaru drunk and he was unsure he ever wanted to see it again. That entire night had just been incredibly bizarre for Inuyasha.

Besides, there was no real point in asking his big brother about it, with as drunk as Sesshoumaru had been, he highly doubted the bastard even remembered the evening let alone being able to explain it.

As Inuyasha drifted off to sleep in his tree, his mind was filled with odd images of himself as a girl and Sesshoumaru telling him how nice he looked in a kimono. It was not one of his more restful nights.

- - - - -

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed (or even just read). You guys are great. Hope you liked this one. I personally think it's a little trippy but that's just me. Next chapter: Sesshoumaru's side of the story


	5. Finding a Mate

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 5: Finding a Mate is Very Stressful Work

As he continued on his path towards his half-brother, he reflected on how many years he had spent looking for his mate to no avail. The over 250 years had passed, at times quickly and other times too slowly to consider. He had noticed that the time around mating season always seemed to slow to a crawl with the inexplicable urge to take a mate rising and falling like the tides.

Having seen what these urges had done to other, older and more powerful demons than him, Sesshoumaru was actually rather proud of himself for having remained so in control over the past 250 years. It was a rather draining task, but he felt it should be beneath him to give in under the strain.

He wondered how his younger brother was able to handle the strain, but he supposed being half-human probably helped to lessen the desires. Of course, thinking of being in control of his urges during mating season and his little brother in the same thought led him to remember that one night, one night in 250 long years, when he had not been able to stay in perfect control. That one night haunted him to this day as a terrible mistake.

As with all great mistakes, it had appeared to be a good idea at first glance. It was a little over 100 years ago and Sesshoumaru had just come back from meeting the fourth new demoness in the past month, the 20th in the past year and the 2000th or so in the last 100 years. He knew what was expected of him.

It was his job to bring a mate back to the palace and have the demoness bear an heir for him. It was his duty as the Lord of the Western Lands. While others had the freedom to choose any mate they desired, Sesshoumaru knew that was not the case with him. He was required to produce an heir suitable to inherit the title of Lord of the Western Lands. Any mate unable to do so would be unacceptable. Sesshoumaru was not generally prone to bouts of any type of emotion, but right at that moment, he was feeling the great stress that accompanied having yet to find a mate.

He readily blamed it on the approaching mating season, but that did nothing to make the feeling go away. If anything, that thought only heightened the sensation. He had not, as of yet given any of his internal struggle away visually, but he was beginning to feel the strain. There was also the deep-seated fear that all this stress might start affecting his actions. He had heard of things like that happening before and knew he could not allow it to happen to him.

That afternoon, Sesshoumaru had come to a decision. He needed to rid himself of this feeling entirely. Recalling a conversation he had overheard between two of his advisors, Sesshoumaru decided to see if their method for relieving stress held any merit. He had already tried reading, writing, soaking in a hot spring, fighting, eating, even an ill-gotten attempt at painting, but nothing was reducing his stress levels in the slightest. If anything, these supposed methods to relieve his stress were just stressing him even more.

In the conversation he had overheard, one advisor was telling another that he was feeling overworked and rather stressed. Normally, Sesshoumaru would have completely ignored the statement and continued on his way. However, this time, for whatever reason, he found himself waiting to hear the response. The other advisor had then told the first that a drink would relax him right away. The first joked back that it may take more than one drink to do that. They had then left, laughing.

Sesshoumaru had put this conversation in the back of his mind with some confusion. The only times he had seen other youkai lords drinking, they had gotten drunk and made fools of themselves. He had often wondered why they were willing to do such things when out in public but disregarded the incidents as being acts of pure stupidity on the parts of the participating youkai.

However, in his current state of frustration, he was finding himself willing to try almost anything to get his mind off his stress and on the very important job he had of keeping his lands safe. If one night of drinking could allow him to release the stress and return to normal, he considered it worth the price of participating in this rather unsavory behavior.

The only real problem with drinking to release stress that Sesshoumaru had foreseen was the possibility of him acting in a fashion unbecoming of his station. He had seen drunken lords making fools of themselves in front of others and they had become laughing stocks of the nobility.

Sesshoumaru had only just recently stopped hearing whispers about how young he was when he entered a room. He could not afford to do anything that might make the other nobility consider him childish. They might mistakenly come to the conclusion that he was not as deadly of a threat as he had spent these long years cultivating himself to be. No, he could not afford to get drunk around the palace where he might be seen or heard doing something untoward.

In addition to the danger of possibly losing the fear and respect he had worked so hard to gain, there was always the chance that a spy was somewhere among his servants and would take the opportunity to kill him while he was at less than his peak. In fact, this apprehension was what had originally given root to the idea that he needed to relieve his stress in some way.

With all the serious deliberation of designing a complex battle strategy, Sesshoumaru planned his stress-relieving sojourn. He made a mental list of what he would need. First and foremost, he needed to be away from the castle and any other higher level youkai that might be about. Secondly, he needed to make sure that no one knew he was not in the palace any longer. Thirdly, he needed to somehow get his hands on enough sake to suit his purpose.

To this end, Sesshoumaru made sure that there were no meetings requiring his attendance. Seeing that there were indeed none, he called Jaken in. He informed Jaken that he was not to be disturbed and was turning in for the night. Jaken whined about how early it was and whether he should get the healer but Sesshoumaru just brushed his ranting off.

Knowing that Jaken would follow his instructions, Sesshoumaru set about the most difficult part of this operation of his. He now had to get hold of the sake. Having knowledge of the movements of his kitchen servants would have been preferable, but he could not suddenly show an interest, it would seem suspicious. However, he had lived in this castle most of his life. He knew all the entrances and exits throughout the grounds.

Silently opening his window, Sesshoumaru dropped to the ground and stealthily made his way to a back entrance to the kitchen. Using his superior senses, he determined that there was no one in the hallway. His plan was flawless so far. He walked swiftly down the hallway towards the room he knew held the sake. He knew that no one would question him, but he would rather not even risk it.

Entering the room containing the sake, he pulled out a bag that was resting to the side of the entrance and filled it quickly and silently with bottles of sake. Once it was full, he stood with the bag and used his senses to once again feel out the hallway. Sensing no one, he quickly exited the way he came and made his way to a wall behind the gardens.

He quickly jumped the wall. If anyone noticed him, they would think that he was going out to hunt. The bag over his shoulder did slightly resemble the bag he sometimes took when he went to hunt so the blood of his kill would not stain his clothing.

After he had left the palace grounds, Sesshoumaru allowed himself to wander without any real thought. He had forgotten that he tended to wander towards his brother in his preoccupation with getting away from the many eyes of the youkai court. After having covered several ri and being unable to sense any strong demons in the area, Sesshoumaru found a small clearing and decided it was as good a place as any to attempt this newest form of 'de-stressing'.

By his line of reasoning, the sooner he could get himself drunk, the sooner he could be back to normal and feel unstressed. It would also be better to take care of this problem now for it would undoubtedly become greater during mating season and he could not afford for that to happen. Besides, he was well outside of the view of the youkai nobility at the moment.

To this end, he promptly sat and opened a bottle. He drank it down swiftly and, feeling no effect, he opened and drank down another bottle as well. On the fourth bottle, he was beginning to wonder if he was impervious to this type of stress relief as well when he suddenly felt himself begin to relax a little. 'Perhaps it only takes a while for it to work,' he mused.

As he was finishing off his fifth bottle and moving on to his sixth, he felt the tension in his shoulders that he had not even been aware of suddenly release. He found himself feeling slightly warm and lethargic. It was working even better than he had hoped.

He could feel his troubled thoughts just floating away into the warmth. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, relishing the utter silence in his head for the moment. While his eyes were closed, the wind shifted and brought to him a delicious scent.

He could not place it's origins in his slightly drunken mind and opened his eyes to find the source of this wonderful smell. Looking across the clearing, he saw silver and red standing out against the green and brown background. After a few moments pondering, he realized that he knew this figure. It was his baby brother, Inuyasha.

Wondering at how he had never noticed that his little brother smelled so good, Sesshoumaru called him over to sit next to him. As he watched Inuyasha hesitate, he began to get irritated. All he had wanted was for this delicious smelling creature to come closer so he could smell him better. To this end, Sesshoumaru ordered his little brother to sit next to him and drink with him.

He watched in satisfaction as his order was promptly obeyed. Now that the nice smell was right next to him, Sesshoumaru could feel himself relaxing even more. Why had asking his brother to come join him in drinking never occurred to him before? Inuyasha was obviously very good for helping his older brother relieve stress.

With a shock, Sesshoumaru realized that his little brother was moving away from him. He had no idea why that would be and briefly wondered in his slightly muddled head what could possibly be making Inuyasha so jumpy. He was sure it could not have been anything he was doing. Sesshoumaru thought he was being rather unfrightening at the moment.

It was then that it occurred to the elder brother that maybe his little brother was just as stressed as he was. That would explain the jumpiness perfectly. He, himself, had been feeling slightly jumpy earlier, but, given that he was older and a full-youkai, he did not show it as readily as his younger brother.

Sesshoumaru noted that the bottle in his brother's hand was almost untouched and briefly wondered if Inuyasha had never heard of the stress relieving properties of sake. Not wanting to leave his little brother stressed while Sesshoumaru himself was feeling so relaxed, Sesshoumaru convinced him to continue drinking the only way he knew how, by taunting the hanyou.

Satisfied that his taunting had yielded the intended result after watching Inuyasha chug one bottle and start on another, Sesshoumaru leaned back and closed his eyes, taking in the wonderful smell and the warm feel of the sake going down his throat. This was the best idea he had ever had.

Sesshoumaru's memories got blurry after that point. Trying to remember what else happened, even the next day, was an impossible task. All he could remember was the aftermath in the morning although he had never intended to go to sleep.

Sesshoumaru had been having a wonderful dream. He had finally found his mate and she was asleep in his arms. He could feel the warmth of her bare skin on his chest and it felt unbelievable. Burying his nose into her neck, he took a deep breath. She smelled divine. He was the most content he had ever been. All was right with the world.

Suddenly, his magnificent dream world began to shift. His mate was trying to get away. Unwilling to allow that to happen, Sesshoumaru adjusted the hold he had on her and growled softly to show his displeasure at her attempting to leave him. After so long searching, he was not about to let his mate get away so easily.

When he felt his mate trying to remove his hands from her body, he got understandably upset and nipped the back of her neck in reprimand to remind her who was in charge. It was also supposed to tell her that she was right where she was supposed to be, safe in her mate's arms, and should stop moving immediately. It did not have the intended effect.

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru heard a most definitely male voice screaming at him. Before he had even placed the voice, he was awake and on the other side of the clearing. To his utter horror, his bare chested little brother was lying on the ground right where he had just been.

Completely at a loss, Sesshoumaru did what he normally did when confronted with the rather confusing feelings he often associated with his baby brother, he offered some harsh words and threats and fled. He wasn't proud of it, but he also wasn't sure if he would have been able to stand against anyone, even the little hanyou in a fight at the moment.

Besides, how was one supposed to seriously confront the person they had just nipped as one would a mate? No, Sesshoumaru decided it was much better to play the coward today and fight this battle when his mask was firmly back in place. It wasn't really fleeing anyway, it was a strategic retreat.

He was so caught up in rationalizing why he had just walked away from an encounter with his little brother who obviously stood no chance against him that he did not even realize he was bare chested himself until halfway back to the palace. Not only that, he had left the carrying bag behind as well.

As he turned around to retrieve the items, Sesshoumaru mentally berated himself. What was he thinking last night? How could he have drunk so much that he could barely recall what happened? What could have possibly possessed him to allow his little brother to accompany him? It was becoming obvious to Sesshoumaru that using sake to relieve stress was quite possibly the stupidest idea he had ever had.

What if it had been someone besides Inuyasha? At least he knew that the half breed would keep his mouth shut. If anyone else had happened upon the scene, what would they have thought? The Lord of the Western Lands holding a hanyou in his arms? Oh, the shame. Everything he had worked so hard for would have been for naught.

He could hear them already, "He's just like his father." "Half breed lover." "We really should have seen this coming, just look at his parentage." "His mother must be rolling over in her grave." Or the worst, "He's not fit to rule." If it was ever discovered, this one mistake could possibly spark a full scale revolt in the western lands. His father had only been gone a mere 100 years. He, himself, was only a child by most youkai nobility's reckoning.

There had already been attempts at revolts over the past 100 years because of his age. Not that any of them had been even remotely successful or that he had not squashed all of them and killed the perpetrators as soon as they were brought to light, but they were such nuisances and what good was a ruler who had no one to rule? But while his young age was something he could not change, he didn't want any more revolts to start over misconceptions about how he felt toward humans or hanyous.

He decided then and there that he would just have to try harder. He couldn't afford to make a mistake now, not after all he had worked so hard for. No one would ever see him drunk ever again. No one would ever see him associating with that half breed brother of his for anything other than fighting ever again. None of this listening to what he had to say before attacking him business. It would have to be a fight from the start.

Sesshoumaru once again reached the clearing that he had spent the previous night in. Using his senses, he made note that his little brother had since vacated the premises. He decided that that was a good thing. He had no idea what he would have done had the hanyou still been present when he had come to retrieve his belongings.

Putting the rest of his clothing back on and slinging the bag over his shoulder, Sesshoumaru flew back to the palace at a much faster pace than before. With any luck, no one at the palace would have even noticed he was gone.

As he flew off, he did not notice that he had actually accomplished what he had set out to do. He no longer felt stressed by his lack of mate and he had also had one of the best night's sleep he had ever had last night. It never even occurred to him to wonder just why he had been having a dream about having found his mate while his little brother was lying in his arms.

- - - - -

You would not believe how hard this was to write. I knew how I wanted it to happen, but Sesshoumaru kept having 'Inuyasha moments' on me. I had to go over the entire chapter and correct it three times just to get rid of all of them. I hope I succeeded in making it sound like Sesshoumaru and giving a plausible reason for the drinking binge. (Keep in mind that this Sesshoumaru is 100 years younger than the one we all know and love. A lot can happen to a person in 100 years.)

As always, thanks for reading and leaving reviews. I really appreciate the feedback.


	6. Was It Something I Ate?

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 6: Was It Something I Ate?

Inuyasha awoke the next morning to a stomach ache. Being that he was not recovering from an abdominal wound at the moment, he was a little confused. He didn't normally suffer from stomach aches. Even going without eating for days would not produce one, but, given that mating season was close at hand, maybe his instincts were trying to tell him something. Whatever that was, though, he had no idea.

The idea of asking someone crossed his mind but was quickly rejected. He highly doubted Myouga would be of any help being that he was not a dog demon himself, and there was no way he was going to ask Sesshoumaru. No, he would be on his own to discern the cause, again.

Deciding that eating something might help, Inuyasha jumped down from his perch and landed next to Kagome who was making breakfast. "You hungry, Inuyasha?" she asked looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Feh," Inuyasha responded, crossing his arms inside his sleeves.

Kagome took that as an affirmative and handed him a bowl of some sort of stew. With a mental shrug, he swallowed it in one gulp. It tasted alright, but his stomach still hurt the same. Seeing as it wasn't helping his problem any, Inuyasha declined the offered seconds. It's not like it was Ramen anyway.

He decided that a walk might help him get rid of his stomach ache, or at the very least, give him time to think of a new possibility for why he had it in the first place in peace and quiet. By the time he had finished eating, everyone else was awake and they were all talking incessantly.

As he got up to leave, he heard Kagome ask him where he was going and made an excuse about doing a brief patrol of the area while they ate. When no 'sit' came, he assumed she wasn't going to get upset about it and disappeared into the trees.

Inuyasha had not gotten very far on his 'patrol' when he suddenly felt incredibly sick to his stomach. With a heave, the stew that he had just recently eaten found its way onto the ground at his feet. Now he knew something was wrong. He had not been ill since he was really little.

The only possibility he could think of was that he had gotten poisoned at some point. It would explain the upset stomach and the pains. But, he could not remember having gotten poisoned in a recent battle. They had fought a few youkai in the past week, but none that were poisonous.

With the exception of the stew they had today, everything they had eaten so far on this trip had been from Kagome's time. But, if it was poisoning in the food, his companions would have fallen to it long before he would have.

Inuyasha tried to remember if he had eaten anything that the others had not. He thought long and hard about it, coming to the conclusion that he had not. Now he was really at a loss as to why he was sick.

Even more confusing, he now felt really hungry. But not hungry for just anything, oh no, he wanted rabbit. Without giving it serious consideration, he quickly found a rabbit and killed it. Before he realized what he was doing, he had already skinned and eaten half the rabbit, raw. The human side of his brain was completely disgusted, but, surprisingly enough, the demon side of his brain was quite pleased with the meal. In fact, after finishing the raw rabbit, his stomach felt oddly better.

Glad to have that out of the way, Inuyasha quickly made his way back to camp, writing the whole incident off to mating season approaching. A lot of weird things always seemed to be going on right around this time. What was one more?

The group had just finished eating and was in the process of packing up the campsite when Inuyasha returned. Inuyasha strolled right into the middle of the camp and declared that they were leaving.

At this point, Kagome decided to bring the fact that she needed to go back home for tests to Inuyasha's attention. "I have to go home and take more tests, Inuyasha."

"What! You just went home, wench. You have a job to do here! You can't just run home whenever you feel like it!" Inuyasha screamed, pissed that she was trying to do this again. It seemed that every time they got anywhere, they had to turn back around so she could go home. It was damn frustrating. That, combined with how he was feeling over the approach of mating season put him in a rather irritable and argumentative mood.

"I told you yesterday that I had to go back home. If we start back towards Kaede's village now, we'll reach there in time for me to go take my tests. I'll only be gone three days, promise," Kagome said with what she hoped was a persuasive smile.

Everyone in the group knew that, no matter what Inuyasha did, Kagome would just go back like she wanted to anyway, but Inuyasha refused to give in so easily. "Listen, wench. We don't have time for you to go back and take these te-ests of yours. Every day you spend at that skool of yours is one more day we could have been looking for Naraku lost!"

"Look, here, Inuyasha. I have to go home and take my tests. We are going to go back to Kaede's. Now!" Kagome had given up on trying to be nice about it. If Inuyasha was going to be pig-headed about it, so was she. "Oh, and Inuyasha? SIT! I am not a wench!"

With that, Kagome stalked off in the direction of Kaede's village, leaving an Inuyasha sized crater in the ground behind her. The rest of the group decided this meant they were leaving and began to follow Kagome. They knew Inuyasha would catch up with them, no problem.

Well, normally it wouldn't have been a problem, but Inuyasha was having a lot of trouble today; a lot more than he should have been having. With that 'sit' he had found his stomach ache back again. Figuring that what worked the last time would work again, Inuyasha quickly sniffed out another rabbit and ate it. He immediately felt better again.

He hoped this new fondness for raw rabbits did not last for the entire mating season. If it did, all of Japan would find itself at a great risk for losing their entire rabbit population. There wouldn't be a rabbit to be found anywhere and it would all be his fault.

Hoping that no one noticed how long he had been gone, Inuyasha ran to catch up with the group. Just as he thought he had made it back with no one noticing, he heard Kagome ask, "Where were you, Inuyasha?"

He folded his arms up in his sleeves and offered her a, "Feh." If she wasn't going to listen to him about not going home, he wasn't going to explain to her where he was. Besides, he really didn't want any of them knowing about this new little weakness of his.

"Come on, Inuyasha. Tell me," she asked again trying her doe eyes.

"Yes, Inuyasha, where were you?" Miroku chimed in. His face was looking a little red and he probably just wanted to redirect attention from whatever lecherous activities he had been participating in moments ago.

Despite the knowledge that the monk was only trying to get out of his own trouble, Inuyasha wasn't actually angry at him. So, the hanyou gave a response, directed more towards the monk than Kagome, but if she wanted to think he was answering her, he didn't really care. It might keep him from getting 'sat' again and having to go eat more rabbits. "I heard something and went to check it out. No need to bring all you weak humans with me."

"SIT!"

'On second thought, maybe not answering had been the better idea,' Inuyasha thought as he felt the stomach ache returning with the pull into the ground. As he resigned himself to having to find and eat another rabbit, he felt a shift in the feel of the air.

It was a shift he associated with higher level youkai and he could tell by the others reactions that they could feel it too. He could not find the scent of the youkai which meant that it must have been coming towards them from downwind. Facing that direction, Inuyasha drew tetsusaiga and prepared to fight. Stomach ache or not, he was not about to back down from a challenge.

He heard the others ready their weapons behind him when he suddenly caught a whiff of the youkai's scent. "Sesshoumaru," he growled out. He could hear the gasps behind him and wondered why his older brother had chosen now to come see him.

He had no more time to wonder as Sesshoumaru was upon them a moment later. "Sesshoumaru! What are you doing here!"

"Well, little brother, you're looking as despicable as ever," Sesshoumaru said coldly, walking toward the group.

"Answer the question, damn it!"

"Such language. Although, I suppose I should expect nothing better from a half-breed such as yourself. You are a disgrace that has gone too long unanswered. I am here to correct this oversight." With that, Sesshoumaru drew tokijin and came at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha easily parried the blow. "You're getting slow, Sesshoumaru!" he taunted as his brother came around with a second blow.

"I am plenty fast enough to defeat the likes of you!" he responded, shifting the angle that tokijin was coming around at faster than the human eye could see. He managed to nick Inuyasha's arm this time, but Inuyasha swung tetsusaiga around quickly enough to prevent a more serious wound.

This time, Inuyasha retaliated. He jumped straight towards his older brother and swung tetsusaiga, aiming for the breast plate Sesshoumaru wore. Seeing this, Sesshoumaru moved out of the way and countered with a swipe of poison claws over his younger brother's back as the momentum of the swing pulled Inuyasha forward.

Inuyasha felt as if everything was moving in slow motion. He knew he was going to miss his blow seconds after he had begun the swing, but the momentum of the swing was too great for him to stop it prematurely. He had figured to just take the strike from his brother and braced for the pain.

When he felt the acid from Sesshoumaru's claws burn into his back, it seemed to be a culmination of all the problems he had been having today. All of the sudden, the stomach ache, which had never dissipated after Kagome's 'sit', came back to the forefront of his mind full force.

It was 100 times worse than before. The pain was excruciating. He couldn't help it. He knew he would look weak in front of his elder brother, something he was loath to do, but he found himself falling to his knees anyway. The last thing he heard was Sesshoumaru saying, "You are the slow one, half-breed," before his world turned to black.

- - - - -

Well, that was interesting. My first attempt at a fight scene. What do you think? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Yes, I realize it was short, it was supposed to be. Inuyasha blacked out in the middle of it. It couldn't have been too long.

Once again, thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it. You guys make my day.


	7. A Suitable Mate

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 7: A Suitable Mate and What is that Smell?

"You are the slow one, half-breed," Sesshoumaru said, after striking his younger brother with his poison claws. He turned around, expecting a verbal and physical attack from Inuyasha only to see him facing away from him, on his knees on the ground.

This caused him to stop moving entirely for a moment. Could this be some new form of attack that he was not familiar with? He had learned the hard way to be wary of his brother's 'new attacks'. They were often without grace or even extraordinary skill, but they tended to be quite effective none the less.

However, this new attack, if it even was an attack did not appear to be working. Why would one turn their back to their opponent for so long? Inuyasha could not be thinking his elder brother would show mercy to him while he was in such a state, could he? He disregarded this thinking as fast as it came to mind. Inuyasha would not surrender like this. Sesshoumaru doubted he knew how.

As he watched his younger brother, a new thought occurred to him; perhaps something was actually wrong with his sibling. Not that he would care one way or the other but his poison should not have even fazed the boy. As he watched the gouges on Inuyasha's back slowly bleed out the red blood mixed with green poison, he took a cursory sniff of his little brother.

Something did not smell quite right about the hanyou. He took another, deeper breath in. In addition to his normal scent and the overlaying scents of poison and blood, he could smell pain (no doubt from his claws), the beginning of his mating scent (mating season was only a couple days away after all), and another scent he could not place. It was this last scent that bothered him.

The last time he had smelled an unknown scent on his brother, he had turned full youkai. He wasn't concerned about that happening at the moment, tetsusaiga was right there in his hand. However, that unexplained scent was beginning to annoy Sesshoumaru. It was confusing his sense of smell.

If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought that a faint feminine scent was entering the traditional masculine scent on his brother. However, that would have been impossible. While some races of youkai were able to change back and forth between sexes, dog demons were not. Sesshoumaru was finding himself at a complete loss as to what could have been causing this scent.

As he was contemplating this latest turn of events, Inuyasha suddenly fell forward. He was now face-down on the ground. Shocked, Sesshoumaru instinctively took a step towards his little brother only to have a sacred arrow fly right in front of him.

It was as if the sound came back on. He could suddenly hear his brother's companions yelling at him. He wondered why he had not noticed they were there before. With a mental shrug, he decided that they were not important enough for him to bother with them. With one last sniff, Sesshoumaru took his leave of the group, listening to them run to his younger brother asking him what was wrong.

He mentally shook his head in disgust. Humans were such idiots. He could smell his brother was unconscious from over here. How were they expecting him to answer their questions if he was unconscious? But, despite their idiocy, he also knew that they would take his brother to get help. He was thankful for that because if they hadn't been there, he might have felt the absurd desire to help his little brother himself.

As it was, he was already experiencing some difficulty in walking away. He blamed it on mating season approaching. After all, as far as his youkai blood was concerned, his little brother had good potential as a mate. The fact that as a male, Inuyasha could not give him an heir and was thus firmly out of the running was not even an issue with his blood.

All his blood wanted was another with a rather strong youki to mate with. He normally didn't have this problem, but sometimes, during and around mating season in particular, his youkai blood would urge him to mate with any other high level demon he came across. It was why he tended to avoid other demons the entire moon cycle if he could. Apparently, the fact that his little brother was only half demon was not an issue with his blood either; it still saw him as a viable mate. He was just glad that his youkai blood did not see humans as acceptable mates as well.

Knowing all this already, he had known it was a bad idea to confront his younger brother at this time when it first occurred to him. However, he also knew that not having a mate yet was making him become slightly stressed again, and, as his memory of the one night he got drunk reminded him, one thing Inuyasha was good for was relieving Sesshoumaru's stress. He had only become better at it as he got older.

A single fight with his little brother could help him relieve months of accumulated stress. Fighting his brother was a rush he got with no one else. He had tried to recreate it with other supposedly worthy opponents over the years, especially the ones during which Inuyasha was sealed to a tree, but they all fell short. His baby brother was the only one able to get his heart pumping, bring the emotions that he liked to pretend did not exist to the surface, and genuinely surprise him in battle. Over all, it had a rather cathartic effect on Sesshoumaru.

If Sesshoumaru was honest with himself, fighting his sibling had become almost an addiction to him. Those fifty years without fighting his brother had been very hard on him. He had found himself going to where Inuyasha was sealed just to berate the hanyou for having gotten sealed in the first place. Others had noticed the problem as well. He had killed more demons and humans in those intervening years than at any other point in his life.

By the time Inuyasha was once again unsealed, Sesshoumaru had so much pent up rage at him that he almost killed his favorite opponent in the first battle he had with him after the unsealing. If that had happened, Sesshoumaru was not sure what he would have done for there was no one else he knew that could give him anywhere near as good of a fight.

Despite what he had led his younger brother to believe, Inuyasha was actually one of the strongest warriors Sesshoumaru had ever gone up against. What he lacked in being a very young hanyou, he more than made up for in sheer quantity of experience. He had decades more fighting experience under his belt than many youkai that were five times his age. Not only that, he seemed to absorb new techniques into his repertoire as they were being used against him. Having been attacked by humans and demons alike, this ability led to the rather eclectic fighting style his brother had so successfully adopted.

No one fought the way Inuyasha did. Sesshoumaru seriously doubted that anyone else could. Every time he met with his brother in battle, there was something new. It was like fighting a different opponent each time they met. After having fought so many warriors who all used the same style over and over again, his little brother was a breath of fresh air.

Sesshoumaru supposed that was what made him addicted to fighting his baby brother. It was a challenge. And, for the elder brother, challenges were incredibly rare. But now, he was finding himself faced with another challenge: determining what had happened to his little brother.

He knew that if he were to use his logic, he would not become involved in this matter and leave well-enough alone. After all, what should he care that his brother's scent had changed, again. It was not as if this change seemed to be affecting anyone else unlike the change to a full demon had.

However, he found himself very curious as to what could possibly be creating that scent. Remembering the help he had previously received from his tree acquaintance, Sesshoumaru made the decision to go inquire if he knew what was causing that particular scent. Perhaps, once he had found the cause, he would no longer be concerned with it and could go back about his business in peace.

Had Sesshoumaru known what finding the cause would lead to, he might have decided to remain curious rather than looking for an answer.

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Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. I really love to read what you have to say. Sorry to those who thought they were going to find out what happened to poor Inuyasha this chapter. You're just going to have to wait a while longer. Don't worry, Sesshoumaru is on the case. (Heaven help us all.)


	8. What? How Did I Get Here?

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

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Chapter 8: What? How Did I Get Here?

He was lost in the black nothingness. There was an aura of warmth surrounding him, but he could not tell where it came from. Despite the uncertainty, he felt safe and protected.

Something in his mind was telling him that this place meant him no harm. Not being one to go against his initial feelings about things, he did not allow himself to get worried.

As he mindlessly drifted along, odd thoughts came to him. They were thoughts of a home he had left almost two centuries ago and promises of a new home to come in the future. They were thoughts of a family that had been torn apart only to be brought back together.

Images of his mother, brother, and his traveling companions floated in and out of his view as he went along. Some were memories of the past while others appeared to be memories of things that had not yet occurred. In his current state, he was not concerned about how he could be seeing the possible future.

From where he drifted, he looked over his life as an outside observer. He knew the beginning and he could see paths down which his life might go meandering before him like a river that had divided into many small streams. He had a decision to make soon; a very important, possibly life-altering decision. He saw where the different paths might lead. Some led into the light, others led into the dark. He could feel the choice standing before him. He knew he desired to walk the paths of the light, but he could not determine how to make it so.

He heard a voice whisper to him, 'Make the right choice, child. Follow what is in your heart. It will never lead you wrong.'

'How can I make the right choice if I don't even know what I am choosing from?'

'Do not worry about such things, little one. When the time is right, you will know. Do not fight your destiny; it will only cause you further pain and torment.'

For some reason, he felt that this voice could possibly give him answers to his current condition. With this thought in mind, he asked, 'Do you know what's happening to me? Why has my stomach been hurting and what's with the rabbits?'

He heard a slight laugh. 'Put your concerns to bed, young one. There is nothing wrong with you. I don't know why you want rabbits in such numbers, but I am sure it will all make itself known in time.'

He was sure that this voice knew more than was being said. As such, he felt himself slipping out of the lethargy he had been in and insisted, 'There is more to it than that. I haven't had a stomach ache since I was very young. Now tell me what you know!'

He could feel the warmth surrounding him again; it was pushing him back into his previous state of contentment. The voice replied, 'I am not here to answer all of your questions. I am only here to help give you a push in the right direction.'

'Which direction is the right one?'

'You already know. Now, child, you have to go back.'

'But I'm still confused.'

'I know, little one. When the time is right, you will no longer be confused. Remember, follow your heart, it will not lead you wrong.'

He felt the words fade away along with his memories of what he had seen. The warmth he had been feeling fled as the darkness made way for light. He could hear his companions talking in the background. As his senses came back into the real world, he took a sniff. He would know that smell anywhere, they must have brought him all the way back to Kaede's. He wondered how long he had been unconscious for. They had still been a good day's walk away when he had fought his brother.

Now knowing where he was, he mentally took inventory of himself. His stomach ache was still there, but it had gone back down to a mere annoyance instead of the overwhelming pain he had felt before. He idly wondered if he would be able to go get a rabbit to sate his stomach. Everything else seemed to be just fine.

He slowly opened his eyes, a little surprised when the light did not hurt them. He must not have been unconscious all that long then. "He's awake!" came a too high pitched and chipper voice. Shippo, his mind supplied.

"How are you feeling, Inuyasha?" asked Kagome.

"Fine, wench. Now, what happened?"

"Sesshoumaru struck you with his poison claws. You fell to the ground in what appeared to be great pain and then passed out," responded Miroku. "Have you no idea why?"

"Yeah, you normally don't fall that easily," Shippo added.

"How long was I out?"

"Half a day, Inuyasha," answered Kaede as she entered the hut. "Do ye have a headache? How are ye wounds fairing?"

Inuyasha furrowed his brow in confusion. "How did we get back so quickly? We were well over a day away."

"After you were hurt, Kirara decided she was well enough to carry us again. With her flying, we made it back in no time," explained Sango.

"Are you hungry, Inuyasha?" asked Kagome. Without waiting for a response, she had already begun making ramen for him.

Not thinking, Inuyasha responded, "No, thanks, Kagome. I'm not in the mood for ramen right now." At this, all activity and noise in the hut ceased. As one, they turned to stare at Inuyasha. Getting annoyed, he looked around at them and demanded, "What!"

"He must still be suffering from whatever made him pass out," Kagome said, almost to herself.

"Oi, wench! I'm right here and I'm not suffering from nothing!"

"Maybe Sesshoumaru has a new kind of poison, one that idles the brain or something," Sango mused.

"Possibly one that stops the appetite," added Miroku.

"I know of no such youkai poison," contributed Kaede. "Although, he may be in possession of a type of poison I have not yet treated."

"Hello! I'm right here! Stop ignoring me!" There was no response. Seeing that they were intent on ignoring him, Inuyasha decided to ignore them. As they continued arguing amongst themselves, he turned his mind back to how he was going to get a raw rabbit to make this stomach ache go away.

He couldn't ask any of them for help. They might be able to get him a rabbit, but they would most likely not let him eat it raw. Besides, look what happened when he passed up ramen. Just imagining the questions they would raise over his request was enough to give him the headache Kaede was asking about earlier.

However, he really did need to get that rabbit. The stomach ache was getting worse the longer he waited. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, he began to slowly scoot himself towards the door. The rest of his companions were so caught up in their discussion over his supposed problem that they did not even take note of him moving.

After what felt like a lifetime during which his stomach ache got increasingly worse and the voice in the back of his head telling him it needed a raw rabbit got increasingly more insistent, Inuyasha found himself near the door. With a speed that would have made Sesshoumaru proud, he shot out the door and into the woods before his friends knew what had happened.

Within a minute, Inuyasha had found a nice rabbit and devoured it. His stomach felt a little better now, but, apparently, he had taken too long to get the rabbit for he now felt as if he needed another one. He quickly found and ate one more and the stomach ache went away completely.

Feeling much better, Inuyasha jumped up onto a tree branch. He didn't really feel like going back and answering their questions right now. It was nice having people around to talk to, but sometimes they just cared a little too much about things that should really have been of no concern to them. They also tended to get rather pushy when they were curious.

He knew they only worried about him, but worry wasn't what he needed at the moment. He just needed time to himself for once. In all honesty, he wasn't feeling up to talking to the others at the moment. Actually, a nice nap sounded good. Without thinking on it further, Inuyasha allowed himself to fall into a light sleep. Maybe he would be ready to face them when he awoke.

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Thank you all for reading and reviewing once again.


	9. Back to Square One

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 9: Back to Square One

As Sesshoumaru walked along to see Bokusenou for answers, he wondered, once again, why he was concerning himself with that hanyou anyway. All he ever did was cause trouble. From the day of his birth, even before he was born, his little brother had been wreaking havoc on the lives around him. Sesshoumaru could still remember the night Inuyasha was born clearly.

It had been overcast and snowing with a full moon looming in the sky. He was standing on the shore with his father and could smell the increasing scent of his father's blood on the chill wind as it spilled to the ground. He had tried to convince his father not to go save that human of his and the half-demon baby that was to be born that night.

His father had just finished fighting Ryokotsei and sealing him to the side of a cliff. He had insisted upon doing that on his own and now he was insisting upon doing this on his own as well. Sesshoumaru knew that his father was not fit for another battle, but as had happened more and more often as of late, his father ignored his warnings and once again raced to the aide of that human.

As he watched him leave, Sesshoumaru idly thought that his human and the hanyou would one day be the death of his father. He had had no idea that he would be proven correct on that very night.

After his father had left, Sesshoumaru remained standing there, considering what he knew or thought he knew of his father's motivations. After his mother had died, Sesshoumaru knew that his father had been quite depressed. He had been in that state for many decades. Nothing had seemed to matter to him anymore, not even his own son.

As the years went by, Sesshoumaru had found himself becoming resigned to the very real possibility that his father was going to die of heartbreak. It had not been an easy time for Sesshoumaru and he had found himself increasingly out on patrol just to get away from the suffocating air that hung around the palace like a cloak.

Although he never showed it, he had resolved during that time to never fall in love with another person. He had seen the hardship it had brought his father and wanted no part of it. Even when he found his mate, he was sure that he would be able to keep her at a safe distance. She might bear him pups, but he would never love her.

After one of his many patrols, he had come home to find his father in good spirits. The dog general was smiling and talking again as he had not since Sesshoumaru's mother had died. He had wondered if the older youkai had finally lost his mind. From the looks on some of the servants' faces, they must have been wondering the same thing.

With his mask in place, Sesshoumaru had inquired as to the reason for his father's apparent new-found happiness. He had been both shocked and appalled when he had learned the cause was a human princess named Izayoi. Evidently, his father had met her during negotiations with one of the daimyos.

Over the next two years, his father wooed the princess while the other youkai nobility looked on in disgust or pity. Many of them shared Sesshoumaru's opinion that the great dog general had indeed lost his mind. There were whispers in the courts that the death of Sesshoumaru's mother had finally driven him mad and some were even waiting for him to kill himself.

What few other than Sesshoumaru himself realized, however, was that, in this 'madness' of his, the dog general had actually reverted to a level of liveliness that had been missing for almost a century. Sesshoumaru, although he noticed it, did not give any outward indication of this knowledge.

He had thought that he would give anything to get his father out of his depression. He realized he should have been more specific in what he was looking for. As his father grew closer to the human princess, Sesshoumaru found himself purposely not being around the palace more and more. He could not stand to bear witness to the shame that his father was bringing down upon his great name.

It had been on one of his returns from patrolling that he had received the worst news of his life. Not only had his father been having relations with a human, he had gotten her with child. Possibly the worst part of the news was that his father seemed proud, proud to be the father of an abomination. It was beyond Sesshoumaru's comprehension and he found he could hold his peace no longer.

"Father, have you truly gone mad? How could you get that human with child? Do you have any idea what a disgrace that hanyou will bring to our family?"

His father narrowed his eyes at him. "That 'hanyou' as you say will be your little brother or sister. I expect you to treat him or her as such."

Sesshoumaru scoffed. "You must be joking. Just because your brain has idled, does not mean that mine has as well. I shall never treat that abomination as a sibling." He knew he had said too much when he found himself pinned to a wall, unable to breathe a moment later.

"You may be my son, Sesshoumaru, but you will not speak of my other child this way. You will have a younger brother or sister this winter whether you wish it or not. If you are unable to keep a civil tongue, perhaps you should not be present when it happens."

With that, Sesshoumaru was released and fell to the ground. Pulling himself back to standing, he tried to regain his battered pride and began to walk out of the room. Just as he reached the door, he heard his father tell him, "Until you can at least accept the idea of your younger sibling, I do not want to see you again, Sesshoumaru."

That night, even though he had only just returned that morning, Sesshoumaru left again. This time, he did not come back for months. He traveled the countryside killing demons and humans alike in great numbers. Anyone who even slightly annoyed him, died. However, no matter how many he killed, he still had this incredible anger directed towards his father and none of the killing was taking it away.

One day, he was walking along, still enraged, when he caught his father's scent in the wind. It was now mid-autumn. He stopped to watch as his father came into the clearing where he was. He could see the disappointment in his father's eyes. "Sesshoumaru, why have I been hearing reports of massive killings throughout my lands? This is senseless. You shall one day rule these lands, stop this temper tantrum of yours immediately. It is unbecoming of a man of your station."

All the rage he had at his father came to the forefront of his mind and he attacked. He knew he stood no real chance against his father in a fight, but his cold rationalism had momentarily taken a backseat to the pure rage that was flowing through his veins.

He tried to strike his father with his light whip but his father was much too fast for him. Abandoning that attack, Sesshoumaru willed poison into his claws and drew the sword he often wore when out on patrol and tried to strike his father with the sword in one hand and his poison claws on the other.

With a sigh, his father drew tetsusaiga and pointed it towards Sesshoumaru. "I have had enough of this nonsense. If you still desire a fight, I will strike back this time."

Knowing that he should heed the warning, but finding himself unable to follow this rational thought, he attacked again. This time, instead of just dodging, his father swung tetsusaiga at him while stepping out of the way. That one swing had managed to do what he had not, draw blood.

Because he had refused to back down when warned to, his father attacked him mercilessly. As he tried to block swing after swing, he found himself losing ground and blood at an alarming rate. Finally, he fell. His father came to stand over him, blocking the sun.

"This is disgraceful, my son. Come back home now. I have waited patiently for you to come to terms with your sibling's birth. The time when your little brother or sister will greet this world is fast approaching. Your time is up."

Despite his position on the ground, Sesshoumaru snarled to his father, "I will never accept that thing as my sibling. It should be killed at birth. If you don't do it, I will."

At this, his father placed tetsusaiga to his neck. "If you do not cease this childish behavior, I shall kill you right now, Sesshoumaru."

"So, you would rather have this hanyou as your heir than I?"

"Is that what this is about?" his father asked, putting tetsusaiga back in its sheath. "I have no need to replace you as my heir. This child shall not take your place in the world." He sighed. "This child, your younger sibling, will not have an easy time in this world. He or she will be half-demon and half-human. There will be no acceptance in either group. Your sibling will spend his or her entire life being shunned by all for something that was not the child's fault. Do you understand?"

"That is only more reason to kill the baby now."

"Sesshoumaru, when you have children, you will understand why that is not an option for me. I hope that, in time, you will be appalled that you even suggested killing your baby sibling. For now, I know that the best I can hope is for you to keep your thoughts to yourself. Can I count on you to do that?"

Sesshoumaru thought about it. His father really didn't ask him for much, but this one thing would be much harder to give him than anything else he could have asked for. With a silent sigh, Sesshoumaru nodded his head in defeat.

That day he had returned to the palace with his father. He still refused to have anything to do with the soon-to-be-born baby or its mother, but he also did not confront his father about it again.

So now he stood, on the beach, watching his father run off towards a child he believed should not even be born. He could feel the sense of waiting on the wind. What it was waiting for he was unsure. As he watched the moon slowly move into eclipse, he could almost feel the earth holding its breath, as if all creation was waiting for an event.

When the lunar eclipse was at its peak, Sesshoumaru could have sworn he heard a baby's cry and felt a tug on his very soul. He felt as if he was being drawn to something, but remained where he was, casting his senses out to their limits to determine what was calling to him. He could sense nothing around and, dismissing the tug he felt, headed back to the castle. After tonight, much would be changed, he was sure of it.

He had not known it at the time, but that night had in fact seen both the birth of his little brother and the death of his father. Come morning, word had come back to the palace announcing the death of the previous Lord of the Western Lands. He would be placed in charge hours later as the new Lord of the West.

Sesshoumaru mentally shook his head. He had not even met the hanyou until years later but on his first day of life, Inuyasha had already managed to completely destroy his entire life as he had known it. And yet, here he was, looking for answers concerning the well-being of that self-same hanyou. 'Oh, father, if you could only see me now,' Sesshoumaru thought while continuing on to the old tree.

- - - - -

OK, that really wasn't where I was planning on going with it, but Sesshoumaru started reminiscing and this is where I ended up. Think of it as a back story to the back story. Um, yeah.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading and reviewing.


	10. Listening to Your Inner Demon

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 10: Listening to Your Inner Demon

The sense of being incomplete was nagging at his mind again. His whole life, Inuyasha had never felt entirely whole. There was always something missing, some part of him that was supposed to be there but wasn't.

Even in his current state of wishing for a restful nap, the feeling remained. However, this time, unlike the many others he could place, his subconscious was teasing him with the idea that this emptiness might be filled. It taunted him that it knew what Inuyasha needed but refused to give up its secrets.

For a long time, Inuyasha had thought on his feelings of being incomplete. Over the years, he had come up with many possible reasons for it. The most logical one that he had ever found was he felt incomplete because he was neither all human nor all youkai.

It made sense to him for this to be the case. If the rest of the world could not accept his half-breed state, why should his own body be able to? Recent events had even confirmed this assumption for him. The loss of control over his youkai blood when his life was in danger was confirmation enough. If he was fully one or the other, it would never have happened.

Thoughts such as these had originally led him to seek the shikon jewel. He had then met Kikyo and somehow things had gotten entirely out of hand. He had gotten away from wanting to turn to full-demon, to wanting to turn full-human, to being sealed, to the blasted jewel being shattered, to having the fate of the world rest in his and his traveling companions' questionable hands, to no longer even knowing what he was going to do if he, indeed, ever got his hands on the completed shikon jewel again. Some days he thought, if he could only get back to the simple desires he had begun with, everything would make much more sense and he wouldn't be so frustrated all the time.

But now, his subconscious was trying to tell him that it knew the reason for this emptiness. He had a feeling that the reason in his subconscious was not the reason he had come to himself over the years. His sneaking suspicion was that this 'completeness' his subconscious was looking for was a mate, something he knew was impossible at this time.

He could feel it trying to pull him into its depths of reasoning, but Inuyasha was resistant. He had heard the reasoning of his subconscious before and, to be perfectly honest, it scared him. The arguments between his human and demon halves were sometimes confusing and often rather violent. He had learned as a very young child to try and ignore them when they disagreed on something, which was quite often.

At present, however, his demon half was trying to get his attention. With every approaching mating season, his human side always seemed to step into the background and let his demon side make more of the decisions. He had always figured it was because as mating season came near his youki grew stronger. After all, it was his demon side that was looking for a mate, not his human side.

He had learned to listen to what his demon side was trying to tell him rather painfully back when his mother had still been alive. It had been the first time he had ever seen his elder brother, and, not heeding the warnings his demon side was giving him, he almost got himself killed before even getting to speak.

It had been a sunny morning and he had been outside playing with his ball. He had found a little hill that he could roll it up so it would roll back to him. He would have much rather played with the other children, but their parents tended to get nervous when he was around and none of the other children in the village were allowed to play with him. So, he was left all alone, again, to play with his ball.

As the ball was rolling back down to him for the hundredth time that day, he caught an interesting scent coming from over by the trees. He was constantly asking his mother what all these great scents he found were. She never seemed to know. Half the time, she didn't even seem to smell it not even when it was right there in front of her. It didn't make any sense to Inuyasha's toddler mind; after all, his mother knew everything.

Leaving his ball where it was, Inuyasha decided to go investigate on his own. His mother had told him not to go into the woods, but this smell was so enticing, he had to find what it was coming from.

As he drew closer to the woods, he began to feel a little uneasy. Writing it off to being there without his mother, Inuyasha continued walking on, stopping occasionally to take another sniff to make sure he was still following the smell. Anything that smelled that great couldn't possibly be dangerous.

As he walked into the woods towards the scent, he finally saw a person standing there. It was the most beautiful being he had ever seen. The sharp, golden eyes against the gaunt, pale skin were breathtaking. The colored markings on the cheeks and forehead only added to the appeal of his visage.

He noticed that this creature had the same hair as his, but it seemed to be much softer. Inuyasha wanted to touch it. He actually found himself deeply desiring to touch any part of this man standing before him.

He realized rather quickly that this creature was the source of the scent he had been following. Sure that someone who smelled that good had to be a good person as well, Inuyasha ignored the warning his instincts were trying to give him and threw himself at the being, wrapping his arms around the man's leg, feeling the white silk under his small hands.

Not a second later, he felt his throat being crushed by one of the man's elegant hands as he was raised from the ground up to eye level.

"What are you doing?" the voice growled at him.

Lost in the confusion of what had happened to make the man with the nice scent upset at him, Inuyasha did not answer. With a shake that made Inuyasha's teeth rattle, the man repeated the question.

Not wanting to upset him anymore, Inuyasha tried to answer only to find that he couldn't. The man was holding his throat so tight he could not speak. Raising his hands to the creature's hand, he began to tug ineffectually at it.

Apparently realizing the toddler's predicament, the man threw him to the ground and waited for an answer. Inuyasha gasped on his hands and knees until he felt as if he could speak again. When he felt a little better, he looked up and up and up until he finally reached this being's face.

Taking in the cold, unblinking gaze, Inuyasha suddenly remembered some of the manners his mother had been trying very hard to instill in him and said, "I'm sorry. My name is Inuyasha. Who are you?"

He saw annoyance cross those eyes. "I know your name already, half-breed, and who I am is of no matter. What did you think you were doing?"

"When?"

This time the being snapped at him, "Are you a complete imbecile? What did you think you were doing touching me like that?"

"Oh," Inuyasha replied, trying to think of a reason this creature would deem acceptable. "You smell nice and look pretty. I just wanted to touch."

"Next time, refrain from these impulses," the man said, turning and beginning to walk away. "I shall not be as lenient in the future."

"Wait! You never told me your name!"

Not even turning back, he heard the man tell him, "Sesshoumaru."

"Sesshoumaru," he muttered to himself, walking back to his mother. That wonderful being was called 'Sesshoumaru'. He couldn't wait to see him again.

Recalling his first meeting of his older brother, Inuyasha cringed. He still couldn't believe he had been such an idiot. 'He looks great and smells nice, he must be nice.' What kind of reasoning was that! Thankfully, he no longer suffered from this complete lack of common sense.

Although, he had to admit to still being a little puzzled as to why Sesshoumaru hadn't killed him from the start. He had been an easy, annoying target. He should have died that day. Mentally shrugging his shoulders, he figured he would never be able to completely understand Sesshoumaru's motives. His elder brother was just a little too fickle for that.

But, if he had listened to his instincts then, he would not have been in danger in the first place. After the initial shock had worn off from having met his older brother, he had, reluctantly, come to the conclusion that his instincts probably did have his best interests in mind. After all, they had been telling him there was danger and, as enamored with his brother as he had been, he still had to admit getting his throat almost completely crushed was definitely being in danger.

Deciding a nap was not going to be in the cards today, Inuyasha instead tried to discover what his demon side was trying to tell him. First, there were the stomach aches; he did not feel one now, but he was sure that they would come back. They were really bothering him. For the life of him, he could not figure out what was causing them or why Kagome's 'sit's and Sesshoumaru's claws caused them to get worse.

Even worse, he had no idea how a raw rabbit could possibly help. To his knowledge, raw rabbits did not have any extraordinary properties. He was beginning to seriously consider asking Myouga if he knew anything about it. This not knowing was driving him crazy.

As he lay there thinking, he caught Kagome's scent. She was coming his way. Figuring that if he didn't appear soon, she would start yelling 'sit' to find him, he dropped down from the tree right in front of her.

Kagome jumped, "Inuyasha! You scared me!"

"Feh."

"Why did you leave the hut? You're still injured. You need to come back and lay down until you're better."

"Look, wench, I've gotten a lot worse injuries than this and turned out fine. I don't need any more rest. I'm good to go."

"Inuyasha, something's wrong with you. You didn't even want ramen." She had that overly concerned look on her face again.

"I don't have to want ramen for every meal, you know," he huffed, turning his back to her and crossing his hands inside his sleeves. "Sometimes I like to eat other stuff."

Kagome looked skeptical. "All you have wanted to eat since I first met you was ramen."

"Yeah, well, maybe I thought it was time for a change."

"You know if something's wrong, you can tell me, Inuyasha."

"Feh. Don't worry about me, wench. Don't you have to go back for your te-ests?"

"Oh my gosh! I completely forgot! I still have to study! Bye, Inuyasha!" she called, running off back to the hut, no doubt going to get her bag and jump back down the well.

'Good riddance,' Inuyasha thought, jumping back up into his tree to continue his musing in peace. Kagome was very frustrating sometimes.

- - - - -

Thanks for reading and leaving reviews. I hope this chapter wasn't too choppy for you, some of the transitions didn't come out quite right. I might be back to change them later.


	11. A Normal Conversation

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 11: A Normal Conversation with the Dog Brothers?

"Greetings, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru almost started, he had not realized that he was so close. Again, he cursed his thoughts that did not want to stay on the matter at hand. In his normal, calm manner, he stepped forward. "Greetings, Bokusenou."

"Why have you come to pay me a visit at this time?"

"I have another question in regards to Inuyasha's blood."

"I have already told you all I know about the tetsusaiga and the effect that it has on his blood."

"This is not about the tetsusaiga."

He could tell that the old tree demon was shocked. "Oh? Then what is it about?"

"I fought him a day ago. His scent had changed again."

"How so?" Bokusenou asked with curiosity.

"If I did not know better, I would have said there was a feminine tinge to it."

The tree demon got a thoughtful look on his face. "Really. Dog demons are not able to change sexes," he said, seemingly to himself.

"Do not take me for a fool."

"No, I do not, but you have come to ask me a question that sounds preposterous."

Feeling like he had wasted a trip, Sesshoumaru stated, "You have no idea why this change has occurred."

"I did not say that. I just said the very idea of a dog hanyou changing sexes is preposterous."

"So you do know what the problem is."

"Possibly, I shall have to see him in person to ascertain if what I think is true."

"Is that really necessary?" Sesshoumaru had not wanted to get his younger brother any more involved in this matter than he absolutely had to. He was unsure if the hanyou would even come with him to see the tree demon willingly. Besides, it might give Inuyasha the impression that his elder brother actually cared about him which was most definitely not the case.

"If you want your answers, you will bring him to me. I cannot answer your question with the information you have provided alone."

Sesshoumaru was very annoyed. He had come all this way to find an answer to his curiosity, only to learn that he would not receive it without his little brother being present. If he had known this before, he would have just taken Inuyasha when he first came upon him and the hanyou was still unconscious.

He turned on his heel. "I shall return with the hanyou."

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes?"

"Does Inuyasha know any dog demons other than you?"

Sesshoumaru had to stop and think about the question. Did his younger brother know any other dog demons? He didn't think so. He was sure he would have heard if any others had ever come into contact with him. However, there was always the possibility that he had met up with one at some point that Sesshoumaru was unaware of. There were still a few roaming the lands that he was not often in contact with.

"I do not believe so," he finally answered.

"Hmm."

Despite himself, Sesshoumaru found himself curious. What could having never met another dog demon have to do with Inuyasha's scent? He turned back to the tree and waited to see if Bokusenou would continue. When he did not, he asked, "Does this have to do with the change of his scent?"

As if suddenly remembering Sesshoumaru was still there, Bokusenou answered, "Perhaps. Just bring the child to me. I shall give you your answers then."

With a mental sigh, Sesshoumaru resigned himself to not getting his answers until after he had brought his little brother to see the old tree. He found himself more curious as to what was wrong with his little brother's scent than he had been before he had talked to the tree. Not wanting to appear overly anxious, he walked calmly away from Bokusenou. Once he was out of range, he sped up.

Reaching his younger brother's sensing range a few hours later, Sesshoumaru once again slowed down to a calm walk. If he appeared too quickly, he knew that it would only set his brother on high alert and he would most likely not come peaceably.

He doubted Inuyasha would come with him peaceably in any event. But, after what had happened in their last encounter, Sesshoumaru was no longer sure he wanted to fight his brother again until this matter was resolved. For some reason, it had really bothered him when his baby brother had fallen so fast for no apparent reason.

Catching his little brother's scent again, Sesshoumaru checked if the scent he had come across before was still there. It was. Actually, if he remembered correctly, which he almost always did, the scent was getting stronger. He could feel its pull on him, urging him closer.

With a mental shake of his head, Sesshoumaru forced the sudden urge to rush to the scent aside. It was obvious that his instincts were acting up again. If there was one thing Sesshoumaru had no tolerance for, it was his instincts controlling his actions. He was above such base nonsense.

No matter how much he tried to deny it, though, his little brother's scent was getting more enticing as he got closer. If it was not for the need to know what was going on, Sesshoumaru would have turned around and left before the hanyou had even noticed he was there. He once again cursed himself for ever becoming involved in this matter.

As he walked, he could see his younger brother's figure high in a tree, resting against a branch. He took a cursory sniff of the area and determined that none of Inuyasha's traveling companions were around. With a small twitch of the lips, he realized his task had just become immeasurably easier. He would not have to put up with those annoying humans in his attempts to get his brother to come with him.

He continued to walk closer and was surprised when he got close enough to strike, but there was no response from the hanyou. Wondering if he was unconscious again, even though he did not smell of it, Sesshoumaru called out to him. "Inuyasha."

As if being snapped from a daze, Inuyasha dropped to the ground and had tetsusaiga out and transformed before him a second later. "Sesshoumaru," he growled out.

"Put that sword away, little brother. If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done it while you lay in that tree."

Acknowledging the truth in that statement, Inuyasha resheathed tetsusaiga, but still remained wary of his brother. "If you don't want to fight, then why are you here?"

"An unusual matter has come to my attention. I desire to have information on it."

"You think I have this information you seek? What happened to me being a 'lowly hanyou who isn't worthy of father's blood'?"

"Don't be ridiculous. You do not have the information. I merely require your presence to retrieve the information."

"Give me one reason I should help you."

"The information I am looking to obtain will be of benefit to you."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "How so?"

"Why did you fall in battle when I fought you?"

Stuttering, Inuyasha found himself at a loss, "I-I'm not sure."

"Even a hanyou as low as you, should never have fallen to such an attack. You were not even injured beforehand."

He could see the interest spark in his little brother's eyes. "So, you know someone who could tell me what happened?"

"Perhaps." Sesshoumaru was pleased that this conversation with his baby brother was going better than he had thought it would. Maybe Inuyasha realized something was wrong as well. He briefly considered the idea that his brother might actually be growing up.

Looking resolute, Inuyasha asked, "Well, what are we waiting for then? Lead the way."

Suddenly suspicious, Sesshoumaru looked at his little brother. He seemed to be awfully eager to go get answers for some reason. Another possibility occurred to him and he asked, "What else is wrong with you?"

Looking like a deer caught in the headlights, Inuyasha responded, "Why would there be anything else wrong with me?"

"You are much too eager to come with me. There is something else going on. Tell me what it is."

Annoyed, Inuyasha responded, "Even if there was something wrong, why would I tell you, bastard?"

Sesshoumaru was beginning to get annoyed himself. Perhaps his younger brother was not growing up after all but just finding new ways to be obstinate instead. With a mental sigh, he informed his baby brother, "If you wish to have any answers, you will tell me what else is wrong. Otherwise, I shall leave you here with your questions."

He watched the hanyou consider it for a moment. When he was just about to turn and leave in disgust, (having momentarily forgotten he had to bring Inuyasha with him for his own purposes) he heard, "I've been having stomach aches."

"Stomach aches?" Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow.

Inuyasha looked towards the ground, embarrassed. "Yeah. They started yesterday morning." Suddenly, he switched from embarrassed to angry. "I don't get it! I haven't had a stomach ache since I was a very young child! I haven't gotten any abdominal wounds recently, I haven't been poisoned, I haven't eaten anything that was poisoned. And then there are the damn rabbits to worry about!"

Sesshoumaru was beginning to think that maybe he should have kept his curiosity to himself. He had been unaware that it would cause this much trouble. But, not being able to help himself, he had to ask, "Why are you worrying about rabbits, Inuyasha?"

"They're the only thing that makes the stomach ache go away," he answered, matter-of-factly. Noticing his brother looked confused, Inuyasha tried to explain. "I get a stomach ache, I eat a raw rabbit, the stomach ache goes away."

Trying very hard not show he was intrigued himself, Sesshoumaru turned from Inuyasha back towards Bokusenou. As he began to walk, he inquired, "Are you coming or not brother?" without turning around. He knew Inuyasha would follow and, sure enough, he heard the sounds of his little brother hurrying to catch up behind him.

- - - --

Thank you again for reading and reviewing. I am always glad to hear from you.


	12. We're Off to See the Wizard

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 12: We're Off to See the Wizard, Err, Tree

Inuyasha's day was looking up. When he had first seen his older brother appear, he had berated himself for not immediately awakening to defend himself. What his elder brother had said about killing him while he still in the tree was actually quite true. He couldn't believe he had been so careless.

But, when sleeping, he relied so much on his subconscious mind to determine if there was a threat in the area and awaken him. It normally did the job flawlessly. Over the years, he had trained it to work quite well as an early warning system, but it had not gone off this time. He briefly wondered if it was because he had sensed, on some level, that Sesshoumaru was not here to fight.

Putting that thought aside, he wondered why his brother was interested in his situation at all. True, it was annoying to Inuyasha, but Sesshoumaru should have seen it as a plus. Having his little brother off-kilter should have made him incredibly happy. However, the opposite seemed to be the case. After all, he had come to Inuyasha, not the other way around. It gave Inuyasha some hope, no matter how far fetched, that his big brother might actually care for him in some way.

He had been so long without any type of family interaction that he knew he had a tendency to cling to anything even remotely resembling affection, especially from his older brother. Those times when he had been able to talk to his big brother for a period before the fight started were still some of Inuyasha's best memories.

Over the years, he had tried so hard to emulate his brother's hate of him. Even when he had first met Sesshoumaru, he had been completely enamored with the youkai. He had wanted nothing more than to be like him. If the only way to be like him was to act the way he did, Inuyasha would do so.

Many times he had told himself that he no longer looked up to his elder brother, but, in the deepest parts of his heart, he knew that he was still starving for the affection that he felt he should receive from his brother. Sometimes, late at night, he wondered why he felt this way. What had ever possessed him to believe that his unfeeling bastard of a brother could possibly show him, a half-breed, affection?

However, for as long as he had known the youkai, he had been sure that there was affection to be had. Hell, he had given him a hug the first time they had met. He supposed, on some level, he was still waiting for that hug of his to be returned. Not that he would ever let Sesshoumaru know it.

He could see it now, he would ask his brother for a hug and his older brother would back away from him as if he had the plague. It would be a great moment. That is of course assuming his elder brother did not decide to go the more violent route and just kill him outright. Considering the issue, he came to a draw as to what the youkai would do. Sesshoumaru could be rather unpredictable after all.

Glancing sideways at his brother, he took in the tall, regal air that Sesshoumaru seemed to carry off effortlessly. He had tried for years to achieve just such a state and failed miserably. A few years ago, he had come to the conclusion that he would most likely never be able to completely pull it off. He had too much humanity in him for it.

Sesshoumaru was always so poised. At times, it made Inuyasha rather jealous. He tended to wear his emotions on his face for all to see. With the exception of one encounter with a drunken Sesshoumaru over a century ago, his brother had never shown him any emotion other than hate. With a start, he realized that he appeared to still be as enamored with his older brother as he had been when they first met.

Blushing, Inuyasha quickly looked away from his brother. He put all this nonsense down to it almost being mating season. He wasn't actually enamored with Sesshoumaru, his blood was just interested in the very strong youki his brother had. It was probably even producing scents that were barely detectable but specifically designed to try and attract his brother to him. He remembered Myouga saying something about that before.

Deciding that his blood was an idiot, Inuyasha began to have second thoughts about having come with his brother on this little trip. Yes, he wanted answers to why his body was acting this way, but he was unsure that being around his older brother while in such a state was a good idea. What if Sesshoumaru found out? He'd kill him for sure.

Resolving not to let the youkai find out what was going on in his head, Inuyasha decided to instead ask him a question that had been bothering him since he had first agreed to come along. "Who are we going to see?"

Not even looking at him, Sesshoumaru answered, "Bokusenou."

Seeing as it did not earn the snap he had been expecting, Inuyasha decided to risk asking more, "Who's that?"

"He is an old tree demon. He was a friend of father's. You will treat him with respect and answer any questions he may ask."

Not sure he liked the idea of telling someone he had never met anything they wanted to know, Inuyasha was a little leery of this. "What if he asks something I don't want to answer?"

He could see Sesshoumaru's patience waning. "Do you wish to know what is wrong or not?"

"Yeah. But I don't see why I have to answer questions that don't have to do with my current issues."

"It is not for you to decide what is relevant to the situation and what is not. You are merely a half-breed. You do not grasp the more subtle complexities of the youkai world."

For once, Inuyasha held his tongue. He wanted to lash back out immediately for the 'half-breed' comment, but if he did, Sesshoumaru might completely slip out of this magnanimous mood of his and go back to being an argumentative bastard that wanted to kill him. Then he would never get an answer to what was wrong with him. Instead, he swore under his breath.

Seemingly ignoring him, Sesshoumaru continued to walk on at the same gliding pace. Not ten minutes later, he heard a booming voice come through the forest. "So you have returned, Sesshoumaru. Greetings, Inuyasha."

Sesshoumaru did not appear to be surprised and just kept walking. Inuyasha however, was finding himself a bit more ill at ease than he had been before and walked slower, his hand on the hilt of the tetsusaiga the entire time.

He heard the deep voice take on an amused tone, "You have nothing to fear from me, little half-breed. Take your hand from your sword."

Really starting to get pissed off, Inuyasha responded, "No. I haven't seen you yet and I have no idea what your intentions are. I will decide when I let of go of my sword, not you or anyone else."

He could hear an echoing laugh ring through the trees. "Very well, young one. You may keep your hand on your sword."

"Feh."

He heard another laugh, "You have spirit, Inuyasha. Your father would have been proud."

As Inuyasha took this compliment in, Sesshoumaru stepped forward. "Bokusenou,I havedone as you requested. I now request that you answer my question."

With a sigh, a face appeared in the tree trunk in front of them. "Always to the point, Sesshoumaru. I must first speak with your brother."

"Half-brother," Sesshoumaru corrected.

Ignoring him, the tree demon turned to Inuyasha. "Sesshoumaru has told me your scent has changed."

Suddenly interested, Inuyasha cast a glance over to his brother before looking back to the tree. "It has?"

"Yes. It now carries a slight feminine scent to it that was not present before."

"Feminine scent? But I thought dog demons couldn't change sexes."

"They cannot. However, even if dog demons could, as a half-demon, you would still not be able to. You have been born male and you shall remain male."

"Then where is the scent coming from?" In his excitement at the prospect of finally finding out exactly what was wrong, Inuyasha had forgotten to be wary of the tree demon and his hand had slipped from tetsusaiga's hilt.

"That is what I am trying to ascertain. Tell me, Inuyasha, how many dog demons do you know?"

"Just Sesshoumaru, why?"

"Have you ever come into contact with another dog demon?"

He thought hard about it. "My father saw me once when I was first born."

"So, the only dog demons you have ever had contact with are your father and brother?"

"Half-brother," he corrected automatically, still racking his brain to see if he had ever fought another dog demon in his life. Not finding any, he answered, "Yep. Those are the only two I have ever met."

"Interesting," Bokusenou muttered to himself.

"What is interesting?" Sesshoumaru asked, causing Inuyasha to jump slightly, he had completely forgotten Sesshoumaru was there.

Disregarding him, Bokusenou continued to talk to Inuyasha. "How have you been feeling lately?"

A bit shocked by the sudden change in topic, it took Inuyasha a second to respond. "Um, not very well, actually."

"He has been having stomach difficulties," Sesshoumaru supplied.

Turning a cross look to Sesshoumaru, the tree demon said, "I was asking Inuyasha." Turning back to Inuyasha, he asked, "What has been wrong?"

Inuyasha considered if he should tell this tree youkai what was wrong with him. He was loathe to share his problems with others. If there was one thing he had learned in the past, it was that others would take any weakness you had and exploit it. Having Sesshoumaru present was not helping matters any.

As if sensing the hanyou's indecisiveness, Bokusenou said, "If you do not tell me what has been bothering you, I cannot help you with your problem."

He realized that the tree had a good point. Decided, Inuyasha told him, "It started yesterday morning when I first woke up. I had a stomach ache for some reason. I haven't had any recent abdominal wounds, fought any poison youkai in a while, or eaten anything poisoned that I'm aware of.

"I had tried to eat what the wench had made for breakfast, but ended up throwing it back up. For some reason, eating a raw rabbit made the stomach ache go away.

"It stayed away for a while until I got into a fight with Kagome and she 'sat' me," he turned away, mumbling the last part.

With their youkai hearing, they had both heard what he said and found themselves a bit confused. "Sat you?" asked Bokusenou.

Inuyasha looked back at this. He had forgotten that they most likely would not know what it was that Kagome could do. As he looked from the confused look on Bokusenou's face to the almost confused look on Sesshoumaru's face, he decided on facing Bokusenou. If he was going to have to explain this shame, he would rather not explain it while facing his brother. It was bad enough the bastard was going to find out anyway.

With an embarrassed look on his face, Inuyasha tried to explain. "This necklace around my neck has a spell on it. Every time Kagome says 'sit', it pulls me down to the ground," he finished in a rush, hoping they would not ask anymore questions about it.

Bokusenou looked thoughtful, "Why do you not remove these beads from your neck?"

"I can't."

"Ah, they are held there by a spell."

Even though it was a statement rather than a question, Inuyasha still felt the need to nod his head, eyes on the ground. He hated talking about what the beads could do to him but he hated admitting that there was nothing he could do about it even more.

"Why are the beads there in the first place?"

"That has nothing to do with anything," Inuyasha responded, suddenly defensive. "I'm here to find out about my current problem, not talk about something that happened over a year ago."

Bokusenou considered him for a moment. "Very well. I shall drop the matter for now. What happened after you were 'sat'?"

Now back into less embarrassing, though still quite embarrassing, territory, Inuyasha raised his eyes. "The stomach ache came back. I ate another rabbit and it went away. I pissed off Kagome again, got sat again, the stomach ache came back, then I ran into this bastard," he rattled off, pointing at Sesshoumaru. "He wanted a fight. I was giving him one when he got in under my sword and slashed my back with his poison claws. The pain in my stomach got 100 times worse than it had been and I blacked out. When I woke back up, the stomach ache was still there, I ate a few more rabbits and that was when he found me again."

"Do you still have the stomach ache?"

"Actually, no," Inuyasha said with some amazement. He had been getting used to being constantly plagued by it.

The tree demon furrowed his brows. "Hmm."

"What!"

"Come here, Inuyasha."

"Why?"

"I must check something."

"Ok," Inuyasha said, taking a tentative step towards the tree. After seeing no ill response, he walked more quickly towards the tree demon until he stood right in front of him. "What now?"

"Stand still."

Inuyasha suddenly felt himself being lifted by branches. Being startled, he tried to fight out of the grasp but found he could not. He heard the tree demon say, "I told you to stay still. I'm not going to hurt you, young one."

Inuyasha forced himself to calm down. "What are you doing to me?"

"I need to check you to see if I can find the problem."

"Is it really necessary for me to be in the air like this for you to check?"

"Why? Don't you trust me?" Bokusenou asked, amused.

"Hells, no," came the immediate response.

The tree demon laughed. "You are the most amusing being I have ever met."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm amusing. That's great. What's wrong with me?"

Inuyasha saw Bokusenou's mouth open and felt a surge of excitement. He was now going to get the answers he had been looking for. He had no idea his day was about to take a turn for the worse.

- - - - -

I think I'll stop there for now. I know, I know, evil cliffy. But this is already the longest chapter by far. I had to break it off somewhere. Besides, I think I want to hear Sesshoumaru's reaction to the news first. Next chapter, Sesshoumaru's reaction.

As always thanks to all you who read and/or review.


	13. Some Answers Given

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 13: Some Answers Given

He walked along side his brother and tried not to breathe in the scent. Something in the hanyou's scent was making him smell irresistible to the youkai. What was driving Sesshoumaru even more crazy was that he could not quite pinpoint what part of the scent was making him feel this way.

He knew that youkai let off an almost imperceptible scent around mating season to try and attract potential mates, but he was reasonably sure this was not the case with his little brother.

In order for this scent to be produced in large enough quantities for it to be having the effect it was having, the youkai in question had to be seriously considering mating with the youkai who was being affected. It was a purely instinctual thing to do when around one's intended.

Why his younger brother would behave in such a way towards him, however, was unknown. The scent itself was instinctual, but the trigger was a conscious decision. He pondered if Inuyasha might give off this scent for all youkai who came around him simply because he was a hanyou, but quickly dismissed it. If that were the case, his baby brother would have been mated by now. Not all youkai were as opposed to half-demons as he was.

Which brought him back to the original problem. The longer he was in his little brother's presence, the more his blood was telling him to take Inuyasha as a mate. His repeated reminders to himself that Inuyasha was a half-demon was not having anywhere near the effect that he had wanted it to have on his mental processes. He knew that, were he to come back with a half-demon mate, there would be a few raised eyebrows, but they would get over it rather quickly. Them being from the same family or both being males would not even be an issue in youkai society. Both happened quite often, after all.

Currently, the only thing keeping his youki at bay was his fierce determination to do his duty as the Lord of the Western Lands. His little brother could not give him an heir. It was his duty to produce an heir, therefore, he could not mate with his little brother.

As he was pondering this newest puzzle, Sesshoumaru heard a voice boom out a greeting. It was only through many years of intensive practice that he did not startle visibly. Instead, he continued walking forward as if he had been expecting it, forcibly pulling his mind away from its musing and onto the present situation.

Sesshoumaru was listening to the conversation going back and forth, expressionlessly. He was actually a little surprised to find that his initial assumption about Inuyasha never having come across another dog demon was true. He had been expecting to find out that there was some encounter somewhere down the line that he had not heard about for one reason or another. However, he held his peace until Bokusenou said, "Interesting."

His curiosity momentarily got the better of him and he asked what was interesting before he had fully considered how it might be interpreted. He needn't have worried because neither one of the others there even took note of what he had said.

However, when the conversation switched to what was at the heart of the problem, his little brother apparently forgot how to speak correctly so he answered for him. He was not trying to save his brother embarrassment, he was just getting very annoyed at his brother's stuttering.

For his trouble, all he received was an annoyed look from the tree demon and a scolding as if he were a child. If he had not worked so hard to get the information he needed and Bokusenou had not been a very old of his father's who had helped him in the past, he would have killed the tree demon for such insolence.

As it was, he merely stayed silent with a little more of a glower on his face as he listened to the rest of the conversation. Despite himself, he became curious when the subject came to Inuyasha's beads. He had always wondered why his younger brother had taken to wearing that necklace after his release from the tree. It had made no sense to him.

Now, finding out it was there because of that childish wench of his brother's, he found himself uncharacteristically angry. What right did she have to claim him as hers? He would never belong to such a child. He may only be a half-demon, but he was still his father's son and deserved a better mate than that.

Besides, from what he had seen, she would not even allow him to claim her. That was just not how things were done in the youkai world. If you claimed someone, they were given the right to claim you back. The only time this did not happen was if the one you claimed was meant to be your possession. Needless to say, his younger brother being claimed as the possession of that priestess did not sit well with him either.

As he listened to his brother describe his day, he found himself becoming more enraged. What could he possibly have done to earn two 'sit's by mid-morning? Inwardly he fumed. If this continued, he might have to do something about that little priestess.

He was rather shocked at his own rage towards this situation. Since when did he care how his brother was treated? It might have been the influence of that scent his brother was releasing, but then it would mean that his youki was accepting the possibility of him as a mate, which could not be the case.

No, the most likely reason was that something like this would bring great shame upon their house if it was ever found out. A child of his father being brought down like a common dog to the whim of a child? Ridiculous. He could not allow this to continue. The next time he saw that priestess they would have words.

He had spent so much time fuming over the priestess' spell, that he was almost as shocked as his brother when the tree branches lifted him into the air. Had he been anyone else, he would have laughed at the way Inuyasha flailed about, trying to find purchase to attack. He was not concerned about his little brother hurting the tree demon. He knew from previous experience that Bokusenou was quite strong.

Sesshoumaru heard Inuyasha ask what was wrong with him, and, looking at the tree demon's face, he realized that the tree most likely knew exactly what it was. Inuyasha apparently sensed it too for he now felt an air of expectancy pouring off the hanyou.

As he placed Inuyasha back on the ground, the old tree demon began to speak. "Many thousands of years ago, well before I was even born, there was a war between the dog and wolf demons. It was a vicious conflict that lasted hundreds of years.

"While this was not unusual in the old times, one thing happened in this war that made it different from others that have been fought. These individuals were not seeking just to control the lands of the other demons as all wars in the past had been, they were attempting to completely wipe the other race from existence.

"To this end, one of the dog demons devised a plan. They would kill all the females in the wolf demon tribe. With no more females, there would be no more pups and the wolf demons would die out.

"A few hundred years into this plan, there were wolf demons that had not been around female wolf demons since their birth. The only wolf demons these young males had ever come into contact with were also male.

"While this might have been seen as a curiosity, it was not really given much thought until these young males reached maturity. At that point, something very unusual happened to them. Their bodies changed just enough to accommodate giving birth. Their youki understood that their race was dying out and changed their very physiology in an effort to keep that from happening.

"When it was discovered that, in need, the male wolf demons could indeed bear children, the localized slaughter of the females was halted."

While Sesshoumaru was digesting this, Inuyasha scoffed, "Nice story, old man. What's your point? I'm not a wolf demon."

Ignoring his younger brother acting like an imbecile, Sesshoumaru tuned out the conversation that the two others were having. He, at least, knew Bokusenou had already given them his answer. He just needed to find what that answer was.

The tree demon was talking about a war that brought about the deaths of many females of the same type of youkai. Some of the youkai grew up without having ever seen a female of the same type as them. These males gained the ability to bear pups.

Sesshoumaru searched for the commonalities between the story and their current predicament. Their race was not dying out and he knew Inuyasha knew that in his conscious mind. However, Inuyasha had only ever come into contact with male dog demons.

Could it be possible that his little brother's youki believed them to be the last dog demons alive and was doing its best to keep the race from going extinct? He realized that this was why his brother's scent was changing. His youki was changing his body so that it would be able to bear pups.

Sesshoumaru grudgingly admitted to a small amount of respect for his brother over this. No wonder he was having so many stomach aches. He was sure that in a lesser youkai the very attempt at such a drastic change in physiology would kill them. That his little half-demon brother was not only attempting, but appeared to be succeeding at such an undertaking was remarkable, not that he would ever tell Inuyasha that.

A thought suddenly occurred to him and he broke into the conversation. "If he were to come into contact with a female dog demon, would his body revert to the way it was previously?"

"Very good question, Sesshoumaru. While I am not certain either way, none of the wolf demons who completed the transformation changed back once they became able to bear pups. There are a few accounts of the change reversing itself before it was completed or just stopping the middle of the change."

"Wait a second. Revert back?" Inuyasha had apparently finally caught up with the jist of the conversation. "Are you saying that I can bear pups!"

Bokusenou looked at the hanyou gently, "You are not able to at the moment, but you soon will be."

Noticing his brother appeared to be suffering from shock, Sesshoumaru continued asking his own questions. "How long until the transformation is complete?"

"Judging by the scent and feel, a day at the most."

Sesshoumaru considered this, even if he had wanted to stop this transformation and help his little brother, there were no female dog demons that could be reached in less than a day. He supposed he would just have to live with having a younger brother that could bear pups.

Sesshoumaru understood the implications of his baby brother being able to bear pups even if the hanyou himself did not. He would be considered a great prize. Someone with the fighting skill and strength of his brother would be sought after by many demons to bear them strong offspring. His little brother's feelings on the matter would most likely not be taken into consideration.

He felt himself becoming enraged at the idea of another demon taking his brother. He tried, once again, to explain to his blood that he had no interest in the hanyou. The only reason it was interested was because of the scent his brother's body was still producing.

However, try as he might, his blood was still showing interest. In fact, it was showing more than just interest, it was starting to show possessiveness. The very idea of another taking his brother as a mate was almost making Sesshoumaru's eyes turn red.

As he struggled to control this rage he should not have been feeling in the first place, he remained oblivious to perhaps the most important part of the entire conversation. The only reason he had had for not mating with his little brother had just been removed from the equation right in front of his eyes and he was too busy arguing with himself to notice.

- - - - -

Thanks for reading and/or reviewing. Anyone still confused?


	14. We Planted Petunias

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

A/N: It has been brought to my attention that there is an oddity in Sesshoumaru's speech. I looked for where I picked it up from, sure that I had heard and/or seen it somewhere, but, alas, I have no idea where I picked it up from. (Maybe I'm reading too much fanfic.) In any event, I am going to correct the problem and most likely go back and correct it in the previous chapters as well. Sorry for the confusion.

- - - - -

Chapter 14: We Planted Petunias, but They're Coming up Roses

Inuyasha was frustrated, he had asked a simple, straightforward question and, instead of getting a simple, straightforward answer, he got a story. It reminded him a bit of talking to Myouga. Only, Myouga was small enough to squash when he was being annoying. Come to think of it, they were both probably about the same age. 'Maybe it's a generational thing,' Inuyasha mused.

What was even more annoying was the look he was seeing on his older brother's face out of the corner of his eye. It looked as if that bastard was actually getting answers from this. It wasn't fair, it was his problem but his brother was the one who understood the explanation. Why did this demon have to talk in riddles anyway?

Inuyasha was no idiot, but between the lack of sleep, the stomach aches, the worrying, the injury from just yesterday, the approach of mating season, and his elder brother standing right next to him distracting his youki, he just was not feeling up to solving riddles at the moment.

So, he argued back and forth with the tree demon who refused to give him any more information and they both became very frustrated with one another. Bokusenou thought he had already given enough information, Inuyasha thought he should make the information clearer.

Their discussion, if one could call it that, was interrupted suddenly by his big brother asking something about him reverting. He was a bit confused as to what his brother was getting at until he heard the tree demon's response. Suddenly, it hit him. They were saying that he would be able to bear pups!

He asked just to make sure and had it confirmed for him in no uncertain terms. He would be able to bear pups. Ignoring his brother's questions about reversing the process, Inuyasha sunk into his own thoughts, one hand coming to his abdomen. He already knew instinctively that his body was too far gone to go back, not that he was even sure he wanted it to.

Actually, the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of being able to have pups. He had spent almost his whole life without family or affection. It was the way of the hanyou. But, if he were to have pups, they would stay with him. In the youkai world, the link between father and child could be broken, but the link between mother and child was inseparable. While he was not sure he enjoyed the idea of being called a 'mother', he liked the implications of it.

He wondered what his pups would look like. Would they have his ears? He knew they would have the gold eyes and white hair. They were dominant traits in his father's line; Myouga had told him so when he had asked why his hair and eyes were a different color from everyone else's. Apparently, as far back as they could trace, his father's family had always had white hair and gold eyes.

He wondered if they would have their father's markings and found himself hoping they would inherit them before he realized who he had automatically placed as their father. Although, he supposed it made sense. He had always been enamored with him. He was such a beautiful and powerful youkai. It was only natural that he would want him to be the father.

Besides, he was more than capable of taking care of the pups himself. All he would need from the father was to be impregnated. It wasn't really the solution he had been hoping for, but it would do. He knew the father would never want to have any type of long term relationship with him, but Inuyasha didn't mind. He had finally discovered what his youki was trying to tell him for decades, and he had learned to always listen to his youki. If this is what his youki wanted, he would see what he could do about complying.

Thinking of a question that had come up in wondering about what his children would look like, Inuyasha asked Bokusenou, "Have you ever met any three-quarters youkai?" Ignoring the look he was receiving from his brother, Inuyasha waited for the response.

"No, I have not," the tree demon said, looking at Inuyasha with a soft look. "However, I have heard of ones in the past. It is said that they tend to favor the looks of the full youkai parent."

Inuyasha nodded his head, looking thoughtful. So they would most likely have their father's markings. That was good. Maybe they would have his ears too and not have any problem with getting accepted as being full youkai. That would be even better.

Seeming to follow where Inuyasha's train of thought was going, Bokusenou said, "They will most likely appear to be full youkai, especially with such strong blood from their father flowing through their veins. They will indeed be beautiful pups. You will have to introduce me to them."

Inuyasha looked up in shock. He had not told the tree demon who his pups' father was going to be. "So you know who I intend to choose?" he asked, warily.

Bokusenou smiled. "Of course I do. There is no other your body would have considered this change for."

Inuyasha huffed. "I didn't do it for HIM. If anything, I did it for myself."

"Why do you say that? Don't you want to make him happy?"

"I am incapable of doing such a thing."

Bokusenou gave him a calculating look, "I think you might be surprised. He has been waiting a long time for someone to make him happy. I would think you would fit the bill perfectly."

Inuyasha raised a brow at him, "Are you sure we are talking about the same demon? I don't think he could ever be happy no matter what anyone did."

"Then why do you want him? If he could never be happy with you, why do you not wish him peace with another?"

Inuyasha felt his blood boil at the thought. "No other may have him. He is MINE. He has always been mine and will always be mine."

He heard a voice behind him suddenly enter the conversation with what seemed to be barely concealed violence in the tone. "Who is this demon you intend to be the father of your pups?"

Inuyasha almost hit himself in the head. Here he was discussing the father of his future children like he was some woman gossiping and he had completely forgotten about his elder brother standing right behind him, listening to the entire conversation.

A growl brought him back to the present. He now felt the elegant claws on his brother's hand around his neck as he was raised from the ground. It reminded him of when he had first met his brother. Strangely, he was not overly concerned.

Again, he heard the demand. "Who do you intend to be the father of your pups!"

He knew intellectually that he was in danger, but his youki had taken over control momentarily. His youki felt no danger. It was only all too pleased to be basking the presence of its intended mate. Knowing that youkai mating tended to be a little on the violent side, he was not overly surprised that his youki was seeing this as some bizarre form of foreplay.

He wondered why he had almost no resistance to Sesshoumaru now when only yesterday he had been able to fight him. It didn't make much sense to him. He decided to ask as he heard Bokusenou demand Sesshoumaru release him. He fell to the ground and absentmindedly rubbed his throat.

While he was rubbing feeling back into his neck, Bokusenou addressed him. "I will not be able to stop him a second time. I believe you should tell him who your intended is."

Inuyasha was once again indignant. "Why should I? He just tried to kill me!" He mused that it must have been the influence of his brother touching him that allowed his youki to take control and made a mental note not to let his brother touch him for a while.

Bokusenou sighed, "Inuyasha, look at your brother. He is going to transform out of a jealous rage if you do not allay his fears now."

This did not make any sense to Inuyasha, his elder brother was not jealous of anything, especially not for a half-demon like him. Why would he care about who Inuyasha's intended was. Still, he turned to look at his older brother. He could see the eyes flashing to red and back again. 'So, the old tree was telling the truth.'

Feeling the pull of his blood to sooth his intended mate, Inuyasha put his own misgivings aside and went with his instincts. Standing, he reached out a hand towards his elder brother. His only response was a growl.

Knowing that if he touched his brother right now, he would most likely lose his hand, he held the hand where it was and spoke softly to Sesshoumaru as one would when calming a wild animal. "Sesshoumaru, brother, calm down.

"You have nothing to fear. No one is taking me from you. I am yours and no one else's." Inuyasha could see the red tint beginning to fade completely from his brother's eyes and began to move his hand closer.

This time, there was no growl and Inuyasha allowed his hand to brush lightly through his intended's hair. He continued to whisper soothing words to his older brother and could feel the anger leaving Sesshoumaru's body entirely. He gently pulled the youkai towards him and his brother came willingly.

He was feeling quite at peace, slowly running his fingers through his beloved's hair, when he heard Bokusenou's voice again. "I knew you could make him happy. Look at him, Inuyasha. Have you ever seen him so content? I have not."

Indeed, Sesshoumaru was practically purring in his arms. "He does look rather at peace, now that you mention it."

"Mmm," the tree demon said in agreement. "He has been looking for his mate for a long time. It has been causing him no end of trouble."

Despite himself, Inuyasha became curious. "Why has it been causing him trouble? He has had hundreds of youkai to choose from. If he wanted a mate that badly, why didn't he just choose one of them?"

"You know, your father wondered the same thing. It is Sesshoumaru's story to tell, but I will tell you the same thing I told your father. Sometimes it can be very difficult to find one's mate. While your blood may know who your mate is, it is up to your mind to listen to the message. It is possible to ignore your intended mate when the youkai is standing right in front of you if you are not open to the possibility that you might be looking at your mate.

"You know your elder brother, perhaps better than I. Would he have been open to the possibility of just anyone being his mate?"

Without even considering it, Inuyasha answered, "No."

"This is why he has had such a difficult time. He cannot intellectually accept just anyone as his mate, so, he has not been looking for his mate with his instincts. He has been looking for his mate logically.

"Your father tried to warn him against this. I, myself, tried to warn him against it. He decided not to listen to either of us. He is, after all, still a very young youkai and the young are prone to mistakes."

"OK. I get that, but why is he being so docile for me now? It's like he doesn't even realize we're talking about him."

"He has denied what his youki has wanted for so long." Noting the confused look on Inuyasha's face, he continued. "Most likely, he always knew that you were the one he was supposed to mate but he refused to listen to what his instincts were trying to tell him."

"Because I'm a half-breed," Inuyasha said, his head lowered.

Bokusenou looked shocked. "No. Why would you think that?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I'm just a lowly half-breed. A stain on our father's name. A complete disgrace to all and should have been killed at birth."

It was then that he felt the fangs on the back of his neck.

- - - - -

Oh, no. Whose fangs are they? LOL. I know, Sesshoumaru seems out of character. He will continue to do so until I get the explanation in the next chapter out. Have faith.

As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing. They both make me smile.


	15. Following Your Instincts

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

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Chapter 15: Following Your Instincts

Sesshoumaru was rather quickly finding himself very confused. First, his little brother had no idea what was wrong with him. Then, they find out that Inuyasha can bear pups. Now, his baby brother is wondering what a three-quarters youkai will look like?

It made no sense to the elder brother. If he had found out that he now had the ability to bear pups, he felt that he would be angry. He had been sure that his little brother would have been rather upset and possibly violent at the idea. But, that appeared to not be the case.

Once again shocking him, his little brother appeared to have not only rather readily accepted that he was able to bear pups but seemed quite pleased with it. He tried to stifle the voice in the back of his head that was insisting that his little brother could and should have his pups.

He had almost gotten it completely silent when he heard the discussion about who his younger brother intended to mate with. A sudden rage came over him. 'How dare he even think that he is allowed to mate with anyone other than me? He will not have another's pups.I will not allow it!'

He could feel his youki rise from where it had been barely restrained this entire encounter and come to the forefront. Without thought, he raised his hand and, choking his brother, demanded to know who his intended mate was. As far as his youki was concerned, it was a simple matter of finding out who this competition was and killing him. Then, there would be no competition for the affections of his intended mate.

The small part of him that was still capable of rational thought was rather intrigued that his little brother was doing nothing to get out of his grasp. If anything, the attractive scents Inuyasha had been emitting all day increased the longer he continued the hold.

All his instincts were screaming at him to claim this creature as his immediately. This wonderful smelling creature he was holding obviously wanted to be his mate very badly. Just as he was about to begin the claiming process on his little brother, he heard Bokusenou demand he release his brother at once and felt a shock go through him.

Surprised, Sesshoumaru released Inuyasha and dropped to a crouch. His rational mind was still not in control of his actions. At present, his entire being was focused on finding the one who would dare to challenge his right to take his mate. He would dispose of the challenger first and then take his mate as he desired.

The next thing he knew, his intended mate was gently stroking his hair and trying to pull him closer. He gladly went into the arms of the smaller being, accepting the delicate ministrations and intoxicating scent gratefully. He had been without his mate for far too long.

As he was being held by his mate, feeling very content just to be around him, he felt his future mate becoming dejected. This was very upsetting to Sesshoumaru's youki. Why would his mate be feeling this way while he was in his arms? He didn't like it and decided to correct the problem.

The fastest way his youki knew of to solve it was a nip on the back of the neck. It would remind his mate that he, Sesshoumaru, was there to take care of him. His intended did not have to worry about not being accepted or loved. After all, wasn't his love and acceptance all his mate could possibly need?

Unfortunately, once again, the nip to the back of the neck did not garner its intended reaction. Instead of calming down and allowing Sesshoumaru to comfort him, his intended shoved him away and screamed. "Damn it, Sesshoumaru! What the hell do you think you're doing! What is up with you and biting anyway! It wasn't funny the last time and it's not funny this time either! I'm not a fucking newborn pup! Stop trying to treat me like one!"

The initial scream and shove was enough to knock Sesshoumaru free of the almost trance he had been in. He listened to the rest of his little brother's 'speech' with increasing disbelief. Could it be possible Inuyasha had no idea what that bite meant? Surely not. He knew his baby brother wasn't raised by demons but this was ridiculous.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sesshoumaru could see the shock he was feeling being reflected on the tree demon's face. Meanwhile, his younger brother was glaring at him and had taken yet another step back.

Bokusenou was the first to regain his power of speech, "You bit him before?"

If there was one question Sesshoumaru had hoped the old tree demon would not ask, that was it. It was just his luck his baby brother would still remember that one night when he had gotten drunk and the events of the following morning. And then, for him to bring it up now, of all times. Sesshoumaru was really beginning to think that maybe he should have just stayed back at the palace with Rin and Jaken. At least then, he wouldn't be forced to put up with this nonsense.

"Sesshoumaru, it is not like you to avoid such a straight forward question. Now, did you bite Inuyasha before?"

Deciding that he was not going to allow this demon to intimidate him, no matter how embarrassed he was, he looked Bokusenou straight in the eye and emotionlessly answered, "Yes."

"Even if your younger brother does not understand the meaning behind the bite, I know you do."

Sesshoumaru just looked at him expressionlessly.

Inuyasha, however, looked between the two of them and asked, "What do you mean I don't understand? You bite young pups on the back of the neck to reprimand them for doing things you don't approve of. What's so hard to understand about that? Like I said, I'm not a newborn pup and I wasn't misbehaving. He's just being stupid."

"You are callingme stupid? I am not the one who does not even understand the basics of youkai behavior."

"Of course I'm calling you stupid! Why else would you suddenly decide biting me was a good idea! Were you expecting me not to retaliate! I'm not as young as I was last time. I'll bite back!"

"It is notmy fault that you have failed to grasp the intricacies of youkai society once again. You are, after all, but a hanyou."

"That is it, Sesshoumaru! I have had it with you and your damn high and mighty attitude! Let's go!" he yelled, pulling tetsusaiga.

Sesshoumaru pulled tokijin with an, "As you wish, brother." Perhaps fighting his little brother would get rid of this tension he had been feeling all day.

- - - - -

(Bokusenou's POV momentarily)

Bokusenou looked back and forth between them as if they had both lost their minds. Just a minute ago they were in each others arms, quite content and now they had swords drawn looking as if they were going to kill each other.

With a sigh, Bokusenou reached out and grabbed both of their arms that had the swords. Ignoring the protests, he held them still and asked, "Are you both insane!"

Receiving no answer other than glares, he continued to talk, "You are purposefully antagonizing one another. Now, I will release your arms and you will withdraw your weapons. Is that understood?"

Gaining two half-hearted nods, he released their arms and watched them grudgingly put their swords away. If they always acted this way towards one another, it was no wonder that they had not become mates yet, he mused. But one thing Inuyasha had said in his previous rant still bothered him. He had all but stated that Sesshoumaru had bitten him as a mate in the past. Sesshoumaru had even agreed that it was true.

If that was the case, why had Sesshoumaru not come asking him about his behavior previously? He was sure that any type of mate behavior being displayed towards one that he saw as being out of the running for his mate would have disturbed the youkai enough to ask about it.

However, this was the first time he was hearing about the incident. Curious, he looked between the dog brothers, both of whom were still obviously agitated. "If we could get back to the initial discussion, when did this first bite take place?"

- - - - -

(back to Sesshoumaru's POV)

It figured that the tree demon wanted to pick on that one piece of information. Well, Sesshoumaru wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of an answer. Unfortunately, he had no control over his little brother who promptly replied, "About 100 years ago. Why?"

Ignoring the question, Bokusenou focused directly in on Sesshoumaru. "You bit him 100 years ago and I am only hearing about it now?"

"It is of no consequence. What happened 100 years ago should not have happened at all."

Bokusenou looked at him in disbelief. "Of no consequence? You bit your little brother and it is of no consequence?"

Sesshoumaru just looked at him with a blank face. There was no way he was going to try and explain what happened that morning to the tree demon. It was none of his business anyway.

He watched Inuyasha look between the two of them as if searching for what part of the conversation he had missed. Apparently having become tired of waiting, his little brother spoke up, "What the hell are you two so upset about? Sure it's annoying to be treated like a pup, but don't you think you're putting a little too much thought into this? How can something that happened 100 years ago honestly have any impact on what he did today?

"Besides, the bastard wasn't even awake when he did it that time."

If Sesshoumaru had been the type, he would have hit himself in the head. Hell, if Bokusenou wasn't standing right there just waiting for a reaction out of him, he would have hit his little brother in the head. Now he was never going to hear the end of it.

Evidently coming to the conclusion that the younger brother was much easier to get information out of, Bokusenou directed the next question towards Inuyasha. "How was it that Sesshoumaru had an opportunity to bite you while he was asleep?"

Horrified at what his little brother was going to give away, Sesshoumaru forced himself to look straight ahead and not allow any expression on his face. It wasn't until he heard nothing for a minute that he glanced at his baby brother.

Inuyasha was blushing bright red and looking as if he was trying to find any way out of answering that question. It had not occurred to Sesshoumaru until that moment that his younger brother might have been just as embarrassed about the goings on of that night and morning as he had been.

In an attempt to save face, Sesshoumaru said, "I have the answers I came here for. I shall now take my leave." He then turned and proceeded to walk away, well aware of the fact that the two others were now staring at his retreating back.

Ignoring them, he put as much distance as he could between himself and the other two without appearing like he was running away. However, given how his day had been going, he was not entirely sure he succeeded.

- - - - -

Thanks for reading and/or reviewing.


	16. Why Wasn't I Claimed?

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 16: Why Wasn't I Claimed?

Inuyasha watched his brother walk away in disbelief. 'What the hell was that?' Apparently his elder brother was of the opinion that if he did not want to answer a question, he could just leave instead.

The only problem with that was now Inuyasha was stuck all alone with a tree demon that was asking rather uncomfortable questions. He considered just leaving himself for a moment but decided against it. Even though the demon would not be able to follow him, he felt as if he owed something to Bokusenou for his help in answering some of his questions.

He heard Bokusenou sigh behind him and turned around. Cocking an eyebrow at him, he silently asked what was wrong.

"Have a seat, Inuyasha." After he was seated, the tree demon continued. "I should not have pushed him."

"What do you mean?"

"I should not have pushed Sesshoumaru. I knew it was a subject he was uncomfortable with. I should have expected him to leave rather than answer."

Not really sure what to say about that, Inuyasha decided to try and bring the conversation back to something he was still puzzled about. "About that, what's so big about biting? Sesshoumaru was really worked up about it. Well, as worked up as he gets about anything."

Bokusenou blinked at him. "That's right, you still don't know."

Now he was getting agitated. "Don't know what! What is this big secret that I'm supposed to know but no one ever told me!"

"Calm yourself, little one. I'll try to explain." Pausing to gather his bearings, Bokusenou began to speak. "What were your instincts telling you when your brother bit you just now?"

"That my bastard brother was biting me like I was a pup and I didn't have to take it from him!"

"No. I asked what your instincts were telling you, not what your brain was telling you. They're two separate things."

Tilting his head to the side, Inuyasha thought about it for a second. He guessed that Bokusenou was trying to find out what his demon side had been telling him at the time. "Well, my demon side was telling me to take it. Then again, my demon side also had no problem with him trying to choke me to death so I figure my demon side shouldn't be allowed to make any decisions for a while. Its thinking is obviously impaired. Probably due to mating season," this last sentence was mumbled under his breath.

"Your demon side?"

"Yeah. My demon side had no problem with him biting me, my human side was pissed about it. Since I wasn't expecting it, I went with my human side's decision on the matter."

Furrowing his brows, Bokusenou looked at Inuyasha, "You make it sound as if there are two different yous in there."

"There are. Always has been."

"Let me get this straight. There's a human you and a demon you in your head?"

Disinterested, Inuyasha shrugged a yes.

"So the human you governs all your human feelings and thoughts while the demon you governs all your demonic instincts and powers?"

"You got it. Now are you going to tell me what the biting was about? Why did my demon side want me to just take it?"

Visibly pulling himself away from contemplating this latest tidbit of information, Bokusenou did his best to answer. "You are aware that biting on the back of the neck is used for disciplining pups."

Inuyasha growled out an, "Of course."

"It is also used as a type of affection." At the raised brow he was receiving, the tree demon elaborated. "Sometimes when a mother bites the back of her pup's neck, it is to reassure them. If a pup is scared, for instance, the mother will bite the back of the pup's neck to remind the pup that she is there and will protect the pup from whatever the danger is."

If he was understanding this correctly, Inuyasha was not liking where this concept was going. "Do you mean to tell me that Sesshoumaru thinks he's my mother!" That thought was giving him some rather frightening mental images.

Surprised, and a little confused as to where that idea came from, Bokusenou answered, "No! No! Of course not! That was just an example of another way that the bite to the back of the neck could be used."

The hanyou was relieved. That would have been a little too freaky, even for him. "So, if that wasn't it, how was he trying to use it?"

"Remember how I told you that he has probably always known, or at least his youki has always known, that you were supposed to be his mate?"

"Um, yeah. I was actually going to ask you about that too."

"That's part of the reason why he bit you."

Inuyasha was really starting to get pissed off. He was in a bad mood to begin with and this damn tree kept refusing to give him straight answers. He was beginning to get a headache from all this talking and it felt like his stomach ache was starting to return. Exasperated, he said, "You're making no sense again, old man."

Looking equally exasperated, the tree demon asked, "What were you feeling right before he bit you?"

"Upset, I guess."

"Right. It was coming off you in waves. Him standing in your arms gave him a very large dose of it. I doubt he was in control of his actions at that moment any more than you were in control of your actions when he had you in the air. His youki already acknowledges you as his intended mate. As such, he bit you in an attempt to make you not be upset any longer. It was a purely instinctual thing."

Inuyasha processed that for a moment. "So, you're saying that him biting me was actually an attempt at making me feel better?" he asked skeptically. Why would his brother care about whether or not he was upset? Hell, the things he had said were only things Sesshoumaru had told him previously.

"More or less."

"Well, he failed miserably."

"I noticed."

"Why did he care anyway? I was only repeating what he had said in the past."

"Inuyasha, pay attention. I already told you. He wasn't really thinking at the time. It was purely instinctual. His youki was in control, not him, and his youki thinks you're going to be his mate."

"But I still don't get it. Why would his youki want me as a mate?"

"Why not?"

Inuyasha gave the tree demon a look. What was he playing at? The response to that question was an obvious one. A full youkai like his older brother should not have been interested in a half-demon like himself. It went against everything Inuyasha knew to be true. Even though he already pointed it out previously, Inuyasha felt the need to mention it again. "I'm a half-demon. Sesshoumaru wants nothing to do with half-demons."

"I still don't see how you being a half-demon is relevant."

"Fine! If you know so much, why don't you tell me what the problem is! If he wants me to be his mate so badly, why hasn't he tried to claim me yet!"

Bokusenou sighed. "He feels it is his duty to produce an heir to the western lands. Up until today, you were incapable of fulfilling such a role. That is why he would not mate with you."

Trying to figure out how this all fit together, Inuyasha said, "But that would mean that he already knew I was supposed to be his mate almost 100 years ago and just didn't decide to claim me as such because I couldn't give him an heir."

"Exactly."

If anything, Inuyasha was getting more confused than he had been in the first place. Trying to process all this was taking a lot out of him. It didn't help that his stomach was acting up more. "I thought you said Sesshoumaru has been looking for a mate for a long time."

"I did. I also said that he was looking for one with his brain instead of his heart. You agreed."

"But if he knew I was supposed to be his mate, why was he still looking?"

Bokusenou closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, there was a hint of laughter in them. "Your elder brother is an interesting demon.

"He had already rejected you as a possibility from the start. You are male and could not give him an heir. Therefore, any feelings he might have for you were obviously not the type that one would have a mate and were immediately dismissed."

"Then why did he bite me!"

"You said he was asleep at the time?" At Inuyasha's nod he continued, "My guess is he smelled your distress in his sleep, and his youki, seeing you as its intended mate, sought to comfort you."

Inuyasha took this in with a contemplative look. He had a lot to think about. Looking to Bokusenou, he said, "I'm gonna go now, old man. See ya around, I guess."

As he left, he heard the tree demon remind him to bring his children by sometime. With an acknowledgement and half a wave, Inuyasha disappeared into the forest to look for another rabbit, his stomach was really bothering him.

- - - - -

Whew! Finally finished that scene! I swear I was having flashbacks to the Council of Elrond. That whole scene with Bokusenou was like 30 pages long. It was necessary, but really, really long.

Thanks for reading and/or reviewing. They're both appreciated.


	17. A Forgotten Promise

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest, but, if you are in this section, you should already know that

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

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Chapter 17: A Forgotten Promise

Ignoring the siren call that was his little brother's scent, Sesshoumaru continued to walk on. He passed through woods, valleys, streams, mountains and still could not seem to completely get out of range of the scent. It was calling to him. He could feel it in his bones and his youki wanted nothing more than to go answer it.

Noting that night had fallen again while he had walked, purposefully keeping his mind blank, the demon mused, 'One more day until mating season.'

Deciding he was far enough away from his younger brother to stop although the scent still lingered in his nostrils, he stood on the top of a mountain. The view would have been marvelously picturesque had he been paying attention to it. Unfortunately, his mind was caught up in all the issues he had been trying to force out of it since he had begun his walk.

Now, with his cessation of movement, those thoughts he had been avoiding pushed themselves to the forefront. Despite himself, he was caught up in the old tree demon's question. Why had he bitten his little brother all those years ago?

At the time, he had blamed it on the sake. But today, he had bitten his brother again in the same fashion. He had not been drunk today. His youki had taken over for a moment, and the next thing he knew, he had bitten his younger brother. 'But I did not mean to!' he growled to himself.

He hated it when his youki took control. His blood was incredibly fickle and always seemed to want ridiculous things. But, according to his father and mother, he was supposed to trust his youki to know who his mate was supposed to be.

When his parents were still alive, they had gotten into many arguments on that very subject. Most had happened before he had even gone to see the witch who had made what Sesshoumaru now considered to be a rather vile prediction. He could still remember his parents' attempts at explaining what they obviously saw to be a very simple issue to their rather emotionless son.

"Did you like the tiger demoness, Sesshoumaru? I thought she was absolutely beautiful. Such wonderful markings. She looked rather powerful, too. Had a very strong youki, you know. You know her father owns quite a few lands in the southern territories. I would think it would be quite a good match. What do you think?"

As a 425-year-old Sesshoumaru listened to his mother talk on and on about the tiger demoness that had just been brought before him yesterday, he ate his food, not showing any interest in the discussion. Noting his mother's expectant look, he responded, "I do not wish her to be my mate, mother."

"What's wrong with this one, Sesshoumaru?" came the weary voice of his father. Sesshoumaru had thus far outright rejected every single demoness they had brought before him.

Honestly, Sesshoumaru just thought she was whiny and annoying. Not to mention being a complete idiot. However, he knew his parents would not accept that as an answer. They would say it was 'unbecoming' of him. So, instead, he turned to his father and said, "She is a lower level noble. Mating with her would lower my ranking among the youkai nobility."

"It's not like we're asking you to mate with a fucking commoner!" His father roared. "She may not be as high as you, but that is no reason for you to immediately dismiss her!"

"I was not as highly ranked as your father when we mated, but no problems came of that," Sesshoumaru's mother reminded him.

Sesshoumaru of course already knew this but he was not about to back down from his position. There was no way he was going to mate with that tiger demoness. "I do not wish to mate below my rank."

"If you hadn't turned down mating with every single one of the demonesses that were at your level, that wouldn't be a problem! What is wrong with you! Do you intend to die without a mate!"

Sesshoumaru listened to his father rage with a blank face. He had heard this before. His father just did not understand that he did not want any of the available choices to be his mate. Honestly, he didn't really see the need for a mate right now. The thought of dying without a mate did not bother him beyond the knowledge that if he died, there would be no one left as an heir.

His mother had once again convinced his father to calm down. After accomplishing this task, she turned her attention to her son. "We just want you to be happy, Sesshoumaru."

"If you want me to be happy, why do you insist on trying to find me a mate?"

His father replied, "Having a mate will make you happy."

"I'm happier now than I was before your father and I mated," continued his mother.

"I do not want to mate with any of the available demonesses that have been brought before me. Is the fact that they are all unacceptable really so difficult to understand?" From Sesshoumaru's point of view, his parents were acting like idiots on purpose. They just could not seem to get the fact that he did not want a mate through their heads.

"You know what your problem is, son?" asked his father. "You are thinking about this entirely too much."

"A mate is something you find with your heart, not your intellect," his mother added. "Haven't any of the demonesses even slightly interested your heart?"

"What part of my 'heart' are they supposed to interest?" he asked, a clear doubt being heard in the word 'heart'.

His parents exchanged looks. "Perhaps we are going about this the wrong way," his father said to his mother. Then turning to him, "What about your youki? What has your youki been telling you about these demonesses?"

Looking at his father incredulously, he inquired, "My youki? What does my youki have to do with anything?"

Relief flooded his mother's face. "Oh, my dear boy, it is all about the youki. Your youki knows exactly who should be your mate. When you are around your intended mate, your youki will make you feel alive and call out for you to be with that demon. Your youki will find your intended mate to be quite irresistible."

"So, Sesshoumaru, who did your youki like?" his father questioned.

Without changing expression, Sesshoumaru responded, "None of them."

Disbelief was mirrored on his parent's faces. "None of them?"

"Not a one." With that, he decided this meal was done and asked to be excused. His father granted him leave, still looking shell-shocked.

As he was leaving the room, he heard his mother voice one last request, "Sesshoumaru, I want you to promise me that when your youki does tell you who your intended mate is you will listen to it."

Without turning, he asked, "What if it is someone unacceptable?"

"No one your youki could ever pick could be unacceptable."

"What if my youki picked a human or a half-demon?"

"Then so be it," stated his father. "Has there been a human or half-demon that has caught the attention of your youki?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I am just stating reasons why my youki might not always be trusted.

"Around mating season, my youki calls out to all who are powerful enough to interest it. How am I to tell which one it actually wants?" He figured that if he could put enough doubt about the wisdom of following his youki into his parent's minds they would retract the oath they wished to gain from him.

"The one your youki desires will stand out from all the others. While you may feel a slight draw to many, you will only feel a pull to one. Also, if it is the one your youki has chosen, you will feel the pull to them regardless of the time of year," his mother explained patiently.

"So if my youki comes upon one whom it believes to be its mate during mating season, I should ignore it?"

He could clearly hear his father growl. "If you are so concerned about that, find this supposed mate and don't complete the claim on her until after mating season is over."

Sesshoumaru turned to look back at his father. He had to be kidding. A partial claiming was no small matter especially during mating season. Leaving a demon that was partially mated was almost impossible without the death of the demon that was being left. "Do you realize what a partial claim would entail?"

"Do not think me a fool, child. I am more aware of it than you."

"Then why do you ask me to do such a thing?"

"Sesshoumaru," his mother called his attention, "please, just promise to give your youki a chance to find your mate. Promise me that if your youki picks a potential mate for you, you will do your utmost to determine if it is your true mate or not. Please, at least promise me that."

Seeing that he was not going to able to get out of it, Sesshoumaru had grudgingly promised to at least give his youki's choice a chance.

With a sigh, Sesshoumaru brought his thoughts back to the present. What would his mother and father think of his youki's apparent choice in mate? Not only a hanyou, but a male. Knowing his parents, they would most likely only remain skeptical of the choice until they discovered that the male in question could, in fact, give him an heir. Then, they would be all over him to go mate with the boy already.

He was not overly fond of the idea of taking his younger brother as his mate, but he seemed to be his youki's choice. He had to admit that he had not felt the pull he felt towards his little brother with any other youkai he had ever met. He had always thought it was just a brother thing that his father had somehow put into motion to try and make him accept this half-demon child.

However, remembering his mother's words, he now saw that he was mistaken. Even that old tree demon had seen what he had not. His youki looked upon his sibling as its intended mate. There was no way out of it. He had made a promise to his mother all those years ago.

Turning decisively back the way he came, he began to follow the scent that was still drifting into his nose. 'Be ready, little brother, I am coming for you.'

- - - - -

Thanks to all who read and/or review.


	18. Inuyasha's Mind

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 18: Inuyasha's Mind is a Dangerous Place

After finding and devouring a rabbit, Inuyasha made his way back to Kaede's slowly. He knew that his friends would have questions for him. They would still be curious as to why he had rejected the ramen that morning and he really didn't want to answer any of their questions.

In fact, more than anything else, Inuyasha just wanted to sleep right now. He was extremely tired. Of course, knowing that it was because of the changes that were taking place in his body, he was not as bothered by it as he had been before. Without the mystery of why, it seemed slightly less annoying than it had been previously.

Still, with as pleased as he had been initially about having a baby, he was beginning to have second thoughts. This baby would have a great impact on the rest of his life. Naraku was still out there somewhere. He could not just allow that bastard to go free because he had a pup. However, he also couldn't exactly bring a newborn with him when he went into battle.

And what was he supposed to do while he was pregnant? He knew that he would most likely be able to hide the pregnancy from his friends for a while, but they would eventually find out. Most likely, they would not allow him to continue fighting after they found out.

His friends. He had not even thought of how they would react to this. They viewed his intended as their enemy. 'Maybe if I explain it to them,' Inuyasha thought then mentally shook his head. They wouldn't understand the explanation. Hell, he wasn't even sure he understood the explanation.

He was once again running into the fact that his companions were human. Sure there were also demons in the company, but Shippo was entirely too young to understand, Kirara didn't talk in any language the human's could understand, and Myouga was gone all the time. Telling them that it was his youki that wanted Sesshoumaru as his mate would, at best, lead to confusion, at worst, outright anger.

He knew Kagome wouldn't understand. While she appeared to be an adult on the outside, she was still very much a child on the inside. And, like many children, she would not understand why things could not go her way. Inuyasha knew that she had had a hard enough time attempting to accept Kikyo, and he had not even been interested in Kikyo in a romantic fashion at the time.

If he were to tell Kagome that he was going to mate with his brother, she would most likely 'sit' him into a new crater. It would not matter to her that it was what his youki was practically screaming at him to do, she would never accept it. It made him happy and sad at the same time. Happy that she wanted him so much so as to not want him to be with someone else. Sad that she could not give him what he needed right now herself because she was too young.

Inuyasha was resigned to her anger if she ever found out, but he hoped that she would remain his friend. She had freed him from his prison after all, and they had been through a lot together. He cared about her deeply even if his youki did not want her as a mate.

Thinking on how his youki had not wanted to accept Kagome as a mate, Inuyasha found himself inexorably drawn to how he had felt all those years ago about Kikyo. He had known that his youki did not want Kikyo as a mate. He had known it to the core of his very being. He had been right next to her through two mating seasons and not once had he found himself the slightest bit interested in taking her as his mate.

It had been one of the reasons he had found turning human for her acceptable. He could not understand why his youki did not want her as his mate. She cared for him. She was the first to ever care for him since his mother had died. She would talk to him and had befriended him when he had felt that he would never have a friend in the world and was lost in the depths of his loneliness and despair.

If there was ever the perfect person to be his mate, she should have been it. Yet, his youki was still not interested. Despite his best efforts, she did not make his blood call out for her. She was of no interest whatsoever to his demon side. However, his human side had fallen in love with her. How could it not have? She had nurtured it through the worst times he could remember.

He had loved her with his entire human heart. So, because his demon side did not love her similarly, could not love her or desire her likewise, he decided to forsake his demon side and give his human side free reign. Then he would not have to live with the two sides of mind forever fighting one another on the issue of Kikyo.

His demon side still could not understand his human side's attachment to Kikyo. When his companions discussed how they felt about the undead priestess, Inuyasha found his demon side agreeing with them time and time again. It was his human side that would not let go. His human side that still yearned for the love that it used to share with her. His demon side thought she was a waste of time and always had been.

Although, lately, his human side had been calling out to Kagome. It wanted to marry her when she was old enough. He had been ready to wait for her. Even though his demon side had also rejected her as a mate, he had thought that he might be able to eventually sway it. She was not like Kikyo. She did not outright reject his demon side. He was sure that, in time, he would be able to convince his demon side that she was worthy of being his mate.

The sad thing was it was now the exact opposite. His demon side was the one that was pushing for him to go after Sesshoumaru as his mate. His human side was the one shying away from the idea. He could hear the warnings coming from his human side. The reminders of all the wrongs his elder brother had committed against him over the years. All the pain and hurt that need not have happened.

But his demon side was also doing a good job pleading his case. His brother had not attacked him the last time they had met. He had taken him to get answers to his problems and even treated him like he was a mate in distress. That had to count for something.

His human side argued back that he was only doing that because his youki had taken over. When he was his normal self, he was just as confrontational as ever. He had even tried to choke him. It was not safe to have him as a mate.

His demon side was having none of it. It was whispering about how strong of a mate his older brother would make. How powerful their children would be. He could never have such wonderful children with either one of the human girls. Besides, there was always the possibility that either one would try to take his children away from him. With his elder brother, he would always have his children.

His human side was still confused as to why on earth he wanted to have children himself. 'Why not let the girls have the children?' True, they might try to eventually take them from him, but his human side could see no reason for him to want to take on a traditionally feminine role.

This enraged his demon side. 'They will be my children. I refuse to give them up for anything.' His demon side saw no shame in him bearing the children. It was the least he could do in exchange for getting such a powerful mate. He was powerful in his own right, but, in all honesty, the sheer strength of his intended mate was enough to turn him on. He was picturing all the times he had found himself being thrown or shoved by his brother and the might behind it. Just imagining all that power being directed at him…

Unfortunately, his human side decided to be the voice of reason and stop his little fantasy before it could really get started. (And it was looking to be such a good fantasy, too.) 'If you let him mate with you, you know he will not stick around.'

His demon side snorted, 'Feh. I know that. I'm not asking him to. I can take care of myself you know.'

'You might be able to take care of yourself, but what about our pups? Who will take care of them?"

'Are you implying I can not take care of my own pups!'

'We do not have a permanent home. We would be raising them on our own without any assistance, unless you want to let Kagome help raise them.' Actually, that idea appealed to his human side greatly, a bit of a compromise, as it were. He could get his pups from Sesshoumaru and then live with Kagome and raise them with her.

It was shot down immediately by his demon side. 'She's not coming anywhere near my pups! I've seen what she did to Shippo. She is not going to do that to my pups! We can raise them on our own. We never really had a permanent home when we were growing up, they'll be fine.'

'Do you really want them to grow up like we did?'

'Oi! I'll be around to protect them. I'm not planning on leaving them to fend for themselves.'

'With the way our life is, we might not have a choice. What if we die fighting Naraku?'

His demon side did not really have an answer to that. He knew that his intended mate would also be at the final battle against Naraku. He was sure his mate would take care of his own pups in the event that Inuyasha was killed, but what if his intended mate was killed as well? The pups would be left to grow up on their own, just like he was. 'I will just have to teach them how to survive in the wild without me.'

'How long are you planning on putting off fighting Naraku for? They won't be anywhere near old enough for that until decades from now.'

Considering what he was going to do about training his pups to survive on their own, Inuyasha was unaware of the presence until he felt a slight sting on the bridge of his nose. 'Myouga,' his mind supplied. With a slap, he flattened the flea and held out a hand in front of him, effortlessly catching the small retainer as he floated down.

With a 'pop', the flea reanimated itself to normal size and sat on the offered hand. "Greetings, Master Inuyasha. A pleasure to taste you, as always. Although, you taste a little different today. Are you feeling alright?"

Seeing a chance to sort out some of the details that were running through his head without having to put up with all the questions he would get from his human companions, Inuyasha jumped up onto a likely looking tree branch and set Myouga on his knee. Looking down at his rather fearful little friend, he asked, "Do you know a story about a war between the wolf and dog demons?"

"There were many wars between them, perhaps if you could be a bit more specific, my lord."

"This war occurred thousands of years ago. The dog demons were trying to kill off all the female wolf demons."

Myouga's face turned thoughtful. "Killing all the female wolf demons… Ah, yes! I remember that war, master! It was rather dreadful. Quite long, too. Why are you interested in it?"

"Why did it stop?"

Racking his memory of the story, it had been a long time since he had first read the account of it, after all, Myouga finally came upon the relevant piece of information. "It was found that the male wolf demons that had never seen a female wolf demon since birth had the ability to bear pups themselves. With the reasoning for targeting females gone, the practice ceased."

Inuyasha humphed. He had been hoping that the tree demon might have been wrong and the entire argument his human and demon sides had been having earlier was all for naught.

Meanwhile, the flea looked at him curiously. "Why are you asking about this war now, Master Inuyasha?"

"Myouga, have I ever, to your knowledge, met a female dog demon?"

Myouga thought long and hard about that. "No, I do not believe so, my lord. Why are you asking these questions?"

Inuyasha remained silent, waiting for Myouga to put it together himself. Inuyasha saw it as a bit of payback for all the riddles the flea had given to him over the years. Here was just one riddle for him to solve.

He saw the confusion change to dawning comprehension on his retainer's face. "M-master Inuyasha, you mean to tell me that you now have the ability to bear pups?"

"Feh."

Taking that as confirmation, Myouga continued to think out loud. "But, why now? You have been going through heats for the last 20 years. Why not before? This is a new development, is it not? You have not been hiding this from me, have you, my lord?"

"Feh. You could taste it in my blood, couldn't you? How could I have hidden that from you before?" Although, Myouga's questions had given birth to a few more questions all too happy to rattle around in Inuyasha's head. Why did it change now? Why not before? Why not later? The story said that when they reached maturity they changed.

Inuyasha knew that he was not yet considered to be a mature hanyou. He most likely had another 30 or so years before he would be officially out of the in-between stage he was currently in: too old for a child, but too young for an adult. He knew his body was in a constant state of change lately. The rise of his demon blood and powers in general were proof of that. Could it be possible that this was just another change his body was going through?

His retainer seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Maybe it has waited until now to take place because your youki spent the last 20 heats trying to call out to a female dog demon to mate with. Since none responded to the call, it has well and truly decided there are no more alive and begun to search for other options, my lord."

"You mean convince my brother to mate with me."

"Yes, that would be one possibi… What!"

Inuyasha sighed, "My youki has come to the conclusion that Sesshoumaru would be the perfect mate for me."

"It has?" Myouga looked skeptical. "Why would your youki want your elder brother as its mate?"

"Why not? He's powerful, handsome and will sire strong pups."

The flea demon looked at him in shock. "Master Inuyasha?"

"What! If it wasn't for the fact that he has tried to kill me on numerous occasions, I would be just as interested as my youki. Can you honestly tell me that he wouldn't make a wonderful mate?"

"I suppose you're right. He would indeed be nearly irresistible to your youki. But, my lord, are you sure that it is not just mating season talking?"

Inuyasha raised a brow to the tiny demon. "Myouga, how many demons has my youki actually been interested in?"

"Counting your brother?" At the nod, Myouga thought about it. Inuyasha already knew what the answer was going to be but waited until the youkai looked up in shock and said, "Only your brother, my lord. I can not recall your youki having ever been interested in another."

"So, how likely do you think it is that this is just a mating season thing?"

"But what about the Lady Kagome, master?"

He sighed. "My human side is interested in her, but my demon side wants nothing to do with her. Whereas my demon side is interested in Sesshoumaru, but my human side wants nothing to do with him. I don't know what to do. Which side do I go with?"

Inuyasha had never been so confused in his life. He knew he could not have both of them, but his two sides could not decide which one of them to be with. It was a sign of just how confused he was that he was actually telling Myouga of his problems like he used to when he was much younger. He only hoped that the flea demon might be able to assist him this time.

"I do not know, my lord. Perhaps you should talk to Sesshoumaru about it first. Is he even remotely interested in you?"

"Well, he did bite me in an attempt to calm me down when we were talking to Bokusenou."

"He did! Then he might be more interested in you than you think he is."

"What do you mean, old man?"

"Your brother has had a very hard time finding a mate."

"Bokusenou said that, too. He said it had to do with looking intellectually instead of with his youki."

"While that is certainly true, Bokusenou most likely does not know that your elder brother was told that he only had one possible mate."

"Only one? I thought you said that there were multiple possibilities for every demon."

"So, you were listening."

"Feh."

"In most cases, you would be correct. However, when your brother was still rather young, your father and his mother were concerned because he had shown no interest in any of the female demons that had been brought before him. They took him to a witch who told them that he had one mate and it was necessary for him to find that mate."

"And you think I might be that mate? Don't be ridiculous."

"He did bite you, did he not?"

"But I'm a half-breed. He hates half-breeds. Besides, wasn't it supposed to be a female demoness? I may be able to bear pups now, but I'm still a male."

"I don't know, Master Inuyasha. Maybe you should ask him."

"Feh. Why don't you ask him?"

"Oh, look at the time, I better be going."

Before he could catch him, Myouga had jumped out of Inuyasha's hand and made off on a passing bird. "Wimp," Inuyasha muttered under his breath, drifting off to sleep, his exhaustion finally catching up with him.

- - - - -

Thanks to everyone who reads and/or reviews. I really appreciate it. Show of hands, who's confused? That's ok, Inuyasha is, too.


	19. Sleeping Beauty

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in, except Sturaki

- - - - -

Chapter 19: Sleeping Beauty

He came closer to where his little brother's scent was coming from and once again found him up in a tree, asleep. Silently shaking his head, he watched his baby brother sleep. The moon filtering down through the leaves gave the silver halo around the hanyou's head an ethereal appearance.

Sesshoumaru rarely took the time to contemplate the hanyou's appearance. True, he did not have much of chance normally due to his brother's heightened senses, but now that he had, for the second time today, come across his brother in a peaceful state, he had to admit, his baby brother was beautiful.

The lithe limbs stretched out effortlessly on the branch in blatant defiance of gravity. The silver hair swayed slightly in the barely-there night wind. The two ears, like antenna on the top of his head, swiveled and twitched at odd intervals as he picked up on this sound or that sound, keeping a silent watch in his sleep.

He wondered at his younger brother not taking note of his presence for the second time today. As was evidenced by his ears and the occasional twitch of his nose, Inuyasha was keeping watch even though he was asleep. He should have already awoken. Perhaps his younger brother no longer saw him as the threat that he had once seen him as. It made him wonder what that tree had told him after Sesshoumaru had left.

As he was looking at this beautiful being that his youki was insisting was his chosen mate, Sesshoumaru felt the sudden urge to slam him against the tree and claim him immediately. He forcibly pushed that thought down. He had agreed to uphold his promise by looking into whether or not his baby brother was his true mate. He refused to go any further with him until he was absolutely certain.

The longer he stood there watching his brother, the more his youki tried to fight its way out of the iron grip he had on it. His youki was crying out for his brother. He knew he had to find some way to determine if his little brother was actually his intended mate or not before his youki completely took over and claimed him without his consent.

Thinking on this, he observed the gentle rise and fall of the hanyou's chest. It was almost hypnotic in quality and he unconsciously stepped closer to the being. Before he knew it, he was within meters of the tree his baby brother was lying in and abruptly stopped himself from moving any closer.

The scent was overpowering. It took all of his willpower not to jump up to the branch his brother was in, but his youki refused to let him walk away again. As a compromise, Sesshoumaru went to the base of the tree and sat down.

Considering it was the middle of the night now, he decided that waking Inuyasha at the moment was probably not a good idea. With all the changes his body was currently undergoing, he most likely needed all the sleep he could get. Besides, it gave him time to try and come up with a plan without having to worry about his younger brother interfering.

He couldn't go back and ask Bokusenou. He had a feeling that that meddlesome tree would only tell him to take his little brother as a mate. He couldn't ask anyone associated with the youkai nobility, it would not do for them to see him as anything less than completely sure in whatever his decision eventually came to be.

If he eventually decided to take his younger brother as his mate, the youkai nobility would see his initial reservations as a way to drive a wedge between the two of them. He would have a hard enough time trying to convince them all he had changed his stance on hanyous as it was.

However, if he decided not to take his baby brother as his mate, he would most likely have to put up with demons trying to use his brother against him. They would mistake his initial interest for actually caring about the hanyou. It might be easy enough to ignore these would-be traitors, but they could get to be very annoying.

Besides, if it ever got back to Inuyasha about why he was suddenly being buffeted by all these high-level youkai assassins, and he had no doubt that it would, he wasn't sure that he wanted to see what his younger brother's idea of retaliation would be. Not that he wouldn't be able to handle it, but it was still something he thought he was better off not knowing.

Looking up from the ground to where his brother was sleeping in the tree, he became lost in the scent again. It was incredibly tempting to him. His unclaimed, intended mate was just sitting there above him. So close, yet so far away.

He shook his head and forcibly dragged his thoughts away from his baby brother and claiming him. He reminded himself that he still needed to find out if he was actually his intended. An idea suddenly occurred to him. Sturaki. He was unsure if she would still be alive, but it was worth a shot. She was the one who had seen who his mate was destined to be, after all. Not only that, she had no connection to the youkai nobility, that being one of the main reasons he was brought to her all those years ago.

Now having a plan of action, Sesshoumaru took note of the moon's position. It would soon be daybreak and he would wake his younger brother. They would need to start out to Sturaki's dwelling as soon as possible.

Remembering what his brother had said about the stomach aches and rabbits, he decided to go catch one now before waking Inuyasha, telling himself that he was only doing it so that they could get moving faster. The desire to assist his intended mate in any way possible while he was in a weakened state had nothing to do with it.

Easily catching scent of a pair of rabbits, he caught them and knocked them unconscious effortlessly, unsure if his brother ate them alive or dead. He felt his youki pull him back towards Inuyasha unerringly. Feeling himself becoming slightly uneasy about having been away even for that short period of time, he forced himself to stop short of returning to the hanyou.

This would not do. He could not travel with his younger brother if he could not even be away from him for short periods of time. He would just have to learn to live with the unease now, before it became even more of an issue.

Ruthlessly smashing down his youki that was screaming inside at him for leaving his unclaimed, intended mate alone while in such a vulnerable state, he attempted to rationalize himself out of this mental torture. He had made it through countless mating seasons without being right next to his brother. He was also sure that his sibling had made it through many mating seasons without him as well. It was not as if the boy was still only a child, at his age, his parents had already introduced Sesshoumaru to half the available demonesses in the area.

The very thought that his younger brother was now unable to take care of himself was ludicrous. He had not been claimed by anyone else in any previous mating season, why would he have been in danger of being claimed now? However, his youki was still incredibly uneasy at the idea and he found himself moving very slowly back to where Inuyasha was against his will.

Sesshoumaru sighed internally. He had spent literally hundreds of years training his body out of following the whims of his youki. Then a situation like this would arise, and all that training disappeared as if it were never there in the first place. Thankfully, no one was around to see this complete breakdown in Sesshoumaru's hard-won mask.

When he returned to where his baby brother was, he decided that it was close enough to dawn to awaken the hanyou. Besides, if he was going to be suffering, his brother should have to suffer as well, especially because it was all his fault that he was having these problems in the first place.

With this thought in mind, he called up to his sibling, "Inuyasha." He was expecting something similar to what he had heard yesterday morning. What he was not expecting was no response whatsoever from the hanyou in the tree. The ears on top of his head did not even twitch at the sound. Annoyed, he raised his voice, "Half-breed, you will answer when I call."

When this still did not garner any response from the hanyou, Sesshoumaru became a little concerned despite himself. Had something else happened while he was away thinking? His youki was almost raving mad behind his mental barriers, carrying on about how he had endangered his intended mate.

He tried to hold it back, but it managed to burst through his shields and, the next thing he knew, he was up in the tree, perched on the branch, right in front of his baby brother. There was still no response from the hanyou and his youki was now beyond concerned.

Reaching a hand forward, he touched his little brother's forehead. It felt unbelievably hot. Wondering if this was part of the process that the tree demon had referred to, Sesshoumaru sat on the branch to watch and wait. His youki refused to allow him to leave Inuyasha, but he knew of nothing else to do in this situation.

Nothing like this had happened in well over 1000 years, and even then it had been a freak occurrence. Besides, even though they were both canine, wolves had a different physiology than dogs did. There was no guarantee that the way the change had affected the wolves was the way it would affect a dog demon as well. Not only that, but his little brother was not even a full dog demon.

He considered the very real possibility that attempting to gain the ability to produce pups could actually be killing his little brother. His youki cried out, beside itself in concern. It demanded he do something even though it did not know what.

When he heard a soft whimper issue from his sibling's lips, it was the last straw. Any remaining vestiges of being a stoic, emotionless youkai lord were cast aside in favor of comforting his intended mate. Pulling the smaller body to his own, he cradled the younger male with his arm.

He watched in morbid fascination while his baby brother unconsciously cuddled closer to him. Now he knew that something was terribly wrong with the hanyou. Inuyasha would never dream of turning to him for comfort, yet here he was, trying to burrow himself further into his elder brother.

Keeping a gentle hold on the small body in his lap, he unconsciously nuzzled the hair on top of his brother's head. The scent and feel of his younger sibling was doing much on the way towards calming his youki. He may still not be entirely sure what was wrong with the half-demon, but at least now his youki felt as if it were doing something to help and was being less adamant about being in control.

As such, he now found his mind clearer than it had been since he had first met up with his brother. Was it only yesterday? It seemed like a much longer period of time had passed.

For the youkai who was so used to being in complete control of everything around him, this past day had been a nightmare. He had never been humiliated this much in a single day in his entire life. He appeared to be losing complete control of youki where his younger brother was concerned and, worse yet, there were witnesses to this weakness.

He knew that, in the interests of protecting the hard-won respect he had gathered from the youkai community, he needed to leave his little brother immediately. To get as far away from him as possible, so far that his youki would no longer feel the pull of his sibling's youki.

However, he also knew he would not. Even if it were not for that accursed promise he had made to his parents, he was unsure his youki would allow him to do such a thing, especially when his little brother was in such a state. It reminded him of when he had felt the need to care for his baby brother all those years ago. True, the boy was no longer a little pup, but he had no doubt that that would make little difference to his youki.

For some reason, his youki had come to the conclusion that it was his job to take care of and even protect his little brother. Under normal circumstances, Sesshoumaru was able to tamp down on this feeling with reminders that Inuyasha was actually quite capable of taking care of himself. The continued fighting with his baby brother was just another way to prove this to his youki.

But now, with his lying here helplessly, in a fever, whimpering pitifully, he knew he would stand no chance of convincing his youki that the boy would be fine. Acknowledging temporary defeat to his youki, he was nothing if not realistic, after all, he repositioned both himself and his brother so that he was leaning against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. It did not appear as if they would be leaving any time soon.

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I know, more angst. What can I say? I like angst. I'm quite good at writing it, too, if I do say so myself. As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing. I appreciate them both tremendously.


	20. What Dreams May Come

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest, a bit citrusy

ADDITIONAL WARNING: This chapter might very well make some of you cry. I almost did, but I tend to get overly emotional about my writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

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Chapter 20: What Dreams May Come

Inuyasha found himself drifting in a sea of white. Everything around him glowed. He was a little uneasy about his surroundings, but he could feel a sense of peace and calm in the air.

He had just begun to relax into the dream-like state he seemed to have found himself in when he heard a voice, 'Why do you doubt your choices, child?'

Startled, Inuyasha tried to turn to where the voice was and found he could not move. 'Where are you! What have you done to me!'

He heard gentle laughter in response. 'Why do you worry about such things? Is it not enough that I am here and you are here, and we may now talk to one another?'

'That would be assuming I actually wanted to talk to you. Which, I don't.'

'You certainly seem to be saying a lot for someone who does not want to talk to me.'

'Listen here, you. Release me immediately. I refuse to have this discussion while being immobile,' Inuyasha stated, still struggling to move.

'Stop trying to move, you cannot.'

'Why not!'

'You have no physical body here. Moving without a physical body is impossible.'

That stopped Inuyasha's thought processes in their tracks. How could he have not realized he had no body? 'It must be the exhaustion from everything.'

'And maybe I'm just a hallucination.'

'What do you mean maybe? You're talking to me inside my own head, you're obviously a hallucination.'

He again heard the laughter. 'Whatever you wish to believe, child. Now, why do you continue to doubt your choices?'

'What choices? I haven't made any choices yet.'

'Why do you not desire to be with your mate?'

'Why would I want to be with that bastard? He hates me. He wants me dead.'

'You don't honestly believe that do you?'

'Why not? He's tried to kill me countless times. To him, I'm just a lowly hanyou, the scum of the earth. I never should have been born.'

'Oh, little one, don't say such things about yourself.'

'Why not? They're true,' he said, beginning to feel dejected again.

He felt a cover of warmth surrounding him. It felt very comforting and he could feel all the tension releasing from his body. He then heard the voice say, 'I am so sorry you have been told such things so many times. No matter what anyone says, you need to know they are untrue. They are not what you are.'

'But it's what HE says.'

'He shall get his due for telling you such things. However, that is not for you to worry about. Little one, you need to think about what is best for you.'

'And what would be best for me?'

'Can you find it in your heart to forgive him? Can you look beyond the past and into the future?'

'I don't know. Maybe if he asked me to, maybe not. He did a lot of awful things to me in the past.'

'Yes, he did, but does that mean he is unforgivable? You have forgiven your traveling companions for all the things they have done. You forgave that priestess for trying to kill you. Can you not forgive your own mate?'

'That's just it, how do I know that he IS my mate?'

'You believe he is not?'

Hearing the disbelief in the voice, Inuyasha found himself stopping for a moment. He had just been arguing, not paying a lot of attention to where it was going and now this voice was questioning whether or not his brother was actually his mate. Hadn't he just convinced Myouga that his youki wanted Sesshoumaru as his mate?

He answered, 'My demon side wants him as a mate, but my human side does not. If he was supposed to be my mate, wouldn't both sides agree?'

'Oh, little one, if only it were that simple. You know better than anyone that your demon and human sides rarely agree on anything. You need to follow your own path.' There was a pause. 'I must leave now, young one. Take care of your mate. He doesn't always do such a good job of it himself.'

Before Inuyasha could say one more word, the white around him faded out into black. He was wondering if maybe it was time to wake up when he suddenly saw red. He felt hot. It was like he was on fire. Such burning. He was sure that, were he to go to hell, this is what it would feel like.

The raging inferno blazed around him and he could feel his very flesh being cooked off his body. He tried to struggle awake, sure that someone was attempting to make his body edible, but he found he could not. He could still not move.

After what felt like an eternity, the flames that had been engulfing him abruptly receded. The space around him turned back to white, but this time he had his body with him. Using the new freedom of movement, he turned around, taking in his surroundings.

His breath caught when he saw the distinct figure of his elder brother standing just behind him. 'What are you doing here!'

'Are you not happy to see me, my mate?' his brother asked, taking a step closer to Inuyasha.

Now that they were so close, Inuyasha could see something reflecting at him through his brother's eyes. Were it any other, Inuyasha would have thought it was love that he saw, but he knew that could not be the case. His elder brother would never look at him with love.

'This is all a dream. I will wake up and none of this will have ever happened,' he told himself.

'Perhaps,' answered his brother. 'If that is the case, why waste time worrying about it?'

He looked suspiciously at the figure. 'What do you mean?'

'I am merely suggesting that since this is a dream, there is no need to not let me treat you as my mate. It will be of no consequence in the real world and might allow your youki to get the idea of having me as a mate out of its system.'

Actually, that sounded like a very good idea. Maybe if he got it out of his system now, he wouldn't have a problem with it in the real world. A moment later, Inuyasha found himself slammed up against a wall, Sesshoumaru's body pressed fully against his.

He heard a, 'Well then, let's get started, shall we?' and with a slight whimper of assent, he felt his brother's mouth crash onto his. With a viciousness that he had only seen in battle, the elder brutally kissed him and he found he couldn't hold back the moan at the contact.

This was exactly what he had wanted. So much power, all directed at him. He could feel his arousal rising with every moment spent in this crushing embrace. Lifting his hands that had been lying limp at his sides, he used them to pull his brother even tighter to him. The responding growl and answering claws digging into his back only served to encourage him.

His lips were suddenly released and he instinctively tilted his head back, allowing his brother full access to his throat. At this show of complete submission, the youkai growled again, placing harsh kisses and licks down the column of his throat while Inuyasha writhed in pleasure.

The elder continued down until he reached the juncture between the younger's shoulders and neck. There he paused.

Feeling the hot breath on the juncture, Inuyasha noted the hesitation. He was about to ask why his brother was hesitating when he heard, 'Not here. That must be done in the real world.'

Before he could truly consider these words, he felt his brother continue moving down his body. Looking down, he realized that they were both naked and idly wondered when that had happened. As he gazed upon the beautiful countenance that was his elder brother, he felt the desire to run his fingers through his hair. It was silky smooth and flowed off his fingertips in sheets.

Before he moved any further, he found himself pressed, face first, into the wall. He was about to protest when he felt his elder brother's body press against his back. Turning his head to the side so he could breathe, he asked breathlessly, 'What are you doing?'

Feeling his sibling's hardness poking into his ass, he was answered in a rough voice, 'I had thought that would be obvious.'

Unable to hold the moan back, he instinctively pushed into the body pinning him to the wall, hungering for more contact. He was answered with a corresponding growl and push from his brother.

He had never felt this loved and protected in his entire life. Inuyasha was left in a daze of lust and love. This is what he had been looking for. This is what he had always desired. To be wanted and loved by his older brother.

As they simultaneously reached their climaxes, his howls joined his brother's in the emptiness that was his dream world. Finally releasing him, his older brother sat on the ground with his back against the wall. Without being prompted, Inuyasha cuddled up next to him.

As the youkai began to comb his fingers through the hanyou's hair, the problems of the real world crashed back into his consciousness and Inuyasha was unable to keep himself from crying. Stopping the combing motion, Sesshoumaru looked down at his baby brother. 'What's wrong, mate? Did I hurt you?'

Inuyasha just continued to cry. He could not understand why things like this always happened to him. He could never seem to get what he wanted, no, needed in life. Now that he knew what that emptiness was that he had been feeling. Now that he knew without a doubt what would fill it, what would make him complete, he would have to go back as if none of this had ever happened.

For a moment there, when they were joined as lovers, he had felt whole. He had felt complete. His two sides were not arguing with one another and his entire being was at peace. But this was just a dream. This wasn't real. He would wake up and his beloved would be as he always was, out of reach of such an unworthy hanyou.

He was too weak to do this on his own any longer. The heart-break was too much for him to bear. He had given away part of his being without realizing it and now he would never have that part back again. It was from these pits of despair that his cries were resounding.

He was so lost in his pain, he was not even aware of the attempts of his dream brother to comfort him. He did not feel the kisses or the tears being wiped away. He did not hear the comforting words that were being offered or the demands to tell him what was wrong.

It was only when his brother grabbed his chin rather harshly and pulled his face up from its downcast position that he acknowledged the presence next to him. Seeing the concern in this being's eyes, his tears turned to rage in an instant. How dare this figment of his imagination taunt him so? 'Leave me alone! You're not real! Stop giving me false hope!'

He could see the hurt in his eyes, 'But, mate…'

Shoving him away, Inuyasha shouted, 'I am NOT your mate! You would never have me as your mate! You hate me! You want me dead! Leave me!'

With that, the being vanished and Inuyasha was once again left alone in his mind, still lying on the floor, crying. 'Why me?'

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Anyway, thanks for reading and/or reviewing. It's always appreciated.


	21. Curiosity Killed the Kitsune?

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

A/N 1:For those who were mildly confused, Sesshoumaru only has one arm in this fic.

A/N 2: In regards to Shippo's thoughts: This entire chapter is inside his head. Yeah, you heard me right, inside SHIPPO's head. He most likely refers to the other people in their group differently when he thinks about them than when he speaks to them. There's more info on it at the bottom.

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Chapter 21: Curiosity Killed the Kitsune?

Shippo was the first in the group to wake up. He never slept very well when Kagome was gone. His adoptive mother always made him feel warm and cared for in her own way. Without her there, he had to turn to his second source of comfort, but with a cursory sniff, he realized that Inuyasha was not there either.

The lack of his adoptive father's presence made him feel uneasy. True, the other members of this little, mismatched pack of theirs were still there, but without either the presence of his mother or the protective youki of his father in sensing range, his instincts were becoming quite skittish. He felt vulnerable and unprotected even in the safety of Kaede's hut.

Careful not to wake Sango, who he had been lying next to, Shippo got up and went to the entrance. Checking on the porch and roof to make sure that he had not missed the scent of the dog hanyou, Shippo saw that both were, indeed, empty. He weighed his options. He could either go back inside and wait for dog boy to show up again, or he could try and find him himself.

On the one hand, dog boy would most likely show up on his own. After all, Kagome had just seen him yesterday and said he was fine before she left. But that still didn't explain why he didn't come back at all. While it was true that he often spent time at the well while she was gone, he normally came by Kaede's to see if there was anything of importance to be done during her absence first.

Shippo knew that his father did not like to sit idly by. If there was something, anything that needed to be done, he would do it. Depending on what it was, the kitsune often asked if he could come along and help. No matter how much he protested it, he really did like spending time with the inuhanyou.

In many ways, Inuyasha reminded him of his deceased father. A little on the rough side, but he always knew that he was cared for. The type of care he got from Inuyasha was just not the same type of care he got from Kagome.

The dog boy tended to be brusque and to point, but, being a demon himself, he didn't really take offense to it. In fact, after spending so much time with humans, Inuyasha's rather harsh attitude was a bit of a welcome relief to the kitsune. He had lived with solely demons for his entire life up until about a year ago, after all.

He sometimes wondered why Kagome took so much offense to some of his father's comments, but generally brushed it off to just being a Kagome thing. His adoptive mother was a little on the odd side, after all. She would freak out about the strangest things like a little spider and then brush off something like an encounter with Sesshoumaru as if it were nothing.

It was no wonder that the two of them together made so many sparks fly. But, by now, Shippo was more than used to the arguments between the two. They were comforting in their frequency. He would worry more if they stopped fighting.

However, for all that, he knew that they loved one another and had not given up on the hope that they might get together at some point. Then, they could actually adopt him and he could really have a new family. With these happy thoughts in mind, Shippo turned his concentration to where his father might be at the moment.

Knowing the inuhanyou was most likely at the well, Shippo wondered why he had not stopped by Kaede's first. Inuyasha knew the kitsune missed Kagome as much as he did and he had more or less left an open invitation for Shippo to join him when he decided to haunt the well. Knowing that the young fox demon had no way of getting there without possibly coming to harm without him, Inuyasha was normally kind enough to let him tag along on his shoulder but he seemed to have forgotten to come get him yesterday.

Shippo had many rather fond memories of sitting with his adoptive father next to the well, waiting for his mother's return. If he had a question that he did not think the humans in their pack would understand, that is when he would ask it. Not having anything better to do, his father would generally answer the question then or tell him he was too young to know yet.

He actually had a few things he had wanted to ask the hanyou the next time Kagome went through the well. However, Inuyasha had not come by all of yesterday. Another thought suddenly occurred to the kitsune, what if Kagome had been wrong? Her nose wasn't anywhere near as good as a youkai's nose. He knew from past experience that the hanyou tended to play off anything that was wrong with him.

A perfect example was after the fight with his brother when he had gotten the hand through his gut. He had insisted that he was good to go, but Shippo could still smell the stench of poison on him. Even a couple of weeks later, the scent lingered, not yet completely out of his system, although he had managed to convince the others that it was.

He hadn't said anything about it at the time for fear that they would not allow his father to fight. He had noticed as time went by that humans had a tendency to think that just because you were injured, you couldn't fight. This idea made no sense to him.

His first set of parents had fought numerous times when they were injured. There was sometimes no way to get around it. He had seen Inuyasha do as much quite often. To be a strong youkai, you had to downplay weaknesses and hide pain. As a result, you tended to fight while injured, pretending the injury did not exist.

He shook his head. Humans were so dense sometimes. He knew that, most likely, his father was injured in some way but had not wanted to worry his mother and so had kept silent. Which meant there was only one thing to do. It was now up to him, the Great Shippoinni, to rescue the poor inuhanyou from whatever trouble he had gotten himself into.

Bolstering his courage, Shippo walked out of the hut and out of the village, traveling to where the well was. As he walked further from the safety of the village, he could feel his courage beginning to waver. There were many things out here that would love to eat a small kitsune.

He tried to remember what his deceased father had told him about being on the lookout for trouble. Always be aware of your surroundings. Feel for any youkis with your youki. Sniff the air for unfamiliar scents. Trying to do all of these at the same time, he continued on his way to the well, sure that would be where his adoptive father was.

Knowing that as soon as he found his father, Inuyasha would take care of any potential enemies in the forest, Shippo hurried on his way to the clearing. The faster he got there, the sooner he could feel safe and protected in his father's youki's aura.

As he entered the clearing, however, he saw and could sense that his father was not there. He had not even been there for a rather long time. Kagome's scent was a little old, but still relatively fresh, but Inuyasha's scent was weeks old. It was barely detectable.

Beginning to think that maybe this had not been as good of an idea as he had originally thought, Shippo tried to find any scent trail of his father. If he was not around here, the possibilities of where his father could be were nearly endless. He could move a lot faster than Shippo after all.

As he was sniffing around, focusing on trying to find his father's scent, the young kitsune did not realize he was, in fact, being watched. If he had been older or better trained, he would not have missed the presence, but, much to his misfortune, he did not even notice anything wrong until it was too late to do anything but scream.

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Oooo. Change of pace. Let's hear it for a new character perspective! But seriously, while there is not much argument about Shippo's view of Kagome, there is a lot about Shippo's view of Inuyasha. I personally think that Inuyasha does the best he can (or is allowed to) with trying to raise Shippo to be a decent youkai.

However, since fighting and tolerance for pain seem to be quite important in the demon world, any attempts by Inuyasha to try and bolster those questionable traits would be looked down upon by the humans in their group (especially Kagome who comes from a very peaceful era where the ability to be able to laugh when someone gouges you is not so highly rated). As a result, Inuyasha comes off as being unnecessarily rough with Shippo when he is most likely being relatively gentle, by demon standards. (Besides, am I the only one who's noticed that Shippo only cries about it when Kagome's around? Otherwise, he just pouts.)

Sorry about the long take on the Shippo/Inuyasha relationship. It does bear some level of relevance to the story. As always, thank you for reading and/or reviewing. Both are very much appreciated.


	22. A Shrill Scream

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in, except Sturaki

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Chapter 22: A Shrill Scream

Sesshoumaru had been feeling nice and warm. The fever that his brother had gotten in the middle of the night had disappeared. However, he now appeared to be plagued with dreams.

If the distress coming off the hanyou was any indication, they were truly awful dreams. Having never had a fever or such himself, he was unsure if the apparent nightmare was actually caused by the fever. However, he had heard of such a thing as fever-dreams from humans before. Seeing as his younger brother was half-human, he supposed it was possible that he suffered from the same thing.

His youki was yelling at him to make the distress in his intended go away, but he had no idea how. His youki wanted him to bite the hanyou again, but both times he had tried that had ended in disaster. He highly doubted that this time would yield any more productive results.

Trying something else because his youki refused to shut up, Sesshoumaru shook his younger brother. It did nothing to wake the boy, if anything it only distressed him more. Annoyed, he said, "Inuyasha, wake up."

"Go away. You're not real. Leave me alone!" answered the, still asleep, Inuyasha.

Looking at his brother like he was crazy, Sesshoumaru said, "I most certainly AM…" when he was interrupted by an ear-piercing scream.

He cringed at the noise with its high pitch only to find that he no longer had a lap full of hanyou. Looking down just in time to see his brother's form disappear in the direction that the scream had come from, he sighed. He had been trying to wake the hanyou since last night and one scream was enough to wake him?

He gracefully dropped down from the branch and slowly walked after his little brother. He still had business with him after all. He wondered what was so significant about that scream that his brother would come out of what seemed to be a sound sleep to answer it.

As he followed the obvious trail his brother had left, he began to smell his little brother's blood. Once again, his youki screamed at him for leaving his obviously rather defenseless intended mate alone. He appeased it by slightly increasing the speed of his steps, reaching the clearing more quickly.

With a quick glance, he took the entire place in. There was a well that a small kitsune was shaking behind. Sesshoumaru recognized him by scent as one of his little brother's companions. He realized that the scream must have come from him.

He then looked over to the other side of clearing where his baby brother was fighting a midsize bear demon. Really no match for Inuyasha, and he was guessing that the blood he had smelled had been from an initial lucky hit. Satisfied that his little brother had it well in hand, Sesshoumaru brought his thoughts back to the kitsune.

He could find no reason why his younger brother would want to have this kitsune tagging along in his group. Every other member of his little quasi-pack had a specific reason for being there: his little priestess that could sense jewel shards and purify demons, his monk that could suck things into the void in his hand and seal demons, and his demon slayer with her companion.

He would never admit it, but they were all halfway decent fighters with their own special skills. All except the kitsune, that is.

The kitsune was still in his infancy by demon standards. He was not old or strong enough to fight much of anything, especially not demons of the level and caliber that his brother tended to fight. Sesshoumaru could see no reason for Inuyasha to not just kick out the baby demon. At the very least, he could find a fox demon tribe somewhere and ask them to adopt the kitsune.

While he was pondering this, his baby brother finished off the demon. He heard his brother call out without turning from the kill, "You all right, runt?"

Not waiting for anything further, the kitsune launched himself onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "Where have you been, dog boy?"

Ignoring the question, his little brother asked, "Why were you out here by yourself, runt? Don't you know you would make a mighty tasty little kitsune snack for some demon?"

"I was looking for you," the kitsune admitted quietly.

"For me? Why would you do something like that?"

"Well, Kagome left yesterday and you haven't come back to the village yet. We all knew you weren't feeling well, but when Kagome came back, she said that you were better. But, when you didn't show up again last night, I thought maybe you lied to her. You've done it before and we both know her nose isn't so good.

"Everyone else was still asleep so I decided to go find you. I thought you might still be sick."

"Why didn't you wait until the others were awake before trying to find me? You could have gotten the monk to do it or something."

The kitsune huffed. "I THOUGHT you would be here waiting for Kagome. You normally are. Besides, I had some things I wanted to ask you."

"Like what?"

He watched the baby kitsune snuggle in closer to his brother and sniff at him. He held back the almost growl that this action caused by reminding himself that it was just a baby. There was no way that his younger brother was interested in a baby youkai.

Sesshoumaru figured that it was most likely that the kitsune was trying to calm his own nerves by breathing in the scent of Inuyasha. He himself knew just how effective that technique could prove to be.

Suddenly, he heard the high pitched voice shriek, "Hey! You're still sick!"

Obviously becoming annoyed, Inuyasha growled, "What are you talking about?"

"You still smell weird. What's wrong with you?" the baby kitsune demanded.

"Oi! I do not smell weird!"

"Uh-huh. I know what you normally smell like and this is not it."

Sesshoumaru watched them bicker back and forth. This entire interaction between the two reminded him of something. He tried to remember what it was. Suddenly it clicked, he could remember a long time ago when he was very young having similar conversations with his father.

He had not yet begun his training on how to keep his mask in place at all costs and he had been a bit of an impetuous child himself. He could recall many instances of asking his father rather inappropriate questions. Sometimes they would be answered, sometimes not, but he would ask them anyway.

He could recall how he had always loved spending time with his father. He would have followed him anywhere at that time. His father could do no wrong in his eyes and he had wanted to be just like him.

Sesshoumaru was shocked that he could still remember that far back. That had been hundreds of years ago. As he thought of how he used to view his father and compared it to how he had viewed his father later on in his life, he wondered what had happened. How had he gone from being his hero who would listen to what he had to say, to being someone he pitied who never wanted to hear a thing he had to say?

Shaking these unwanted thoughts from his mind, he turned his attention back to the scene playing out in front of him. The kitsune was asking his baby brother a rather obvious question and his little brother was actually giving him a sensible answer?

His baby brother seemed to be showing this little kitsune the same degree of tolerance that he had seen his father show him when he was a child. It was shocking to see his brother in such a light given that he had never had a father figure in his life.

That gave him pause. Was that the reason the kitsune came with them everywhere? Was he his little brother's adoptive son? It would certainly explain why the kitsune managed to wake Inuyasha from a sound sleep when he had not been able to.

His youki which had fallen into the background while he had watched this scene, was practically preening with pride. It was quite pleased with what a good parent his intended mate was showing himself to be. He would not have to worry for his children's safety while he was away.

Sesshoumaru tried to tune out the feeling. It was bad enough that he was having difficulties staying away from his brother already, now his youki had just found one more point in his favor. He was slowly coming to the realization that his youki was completely enamored with his baby brother.

It did not seem to matter what the pup did, his youki found it attractive. He had almost found himself becoming aroused at how quickly his younger brother had killed the bear demon which was utterly ridiculous. That demon would have never stood a chance against his brother. He was of such a low level he was barely worth the time to kill and yet, his youki was all atwitter about the incident.

It had been whispering things to him about how, even though his intended was in a weakened state, he was still a formidable opponent. Sesshoumaru was telling it to shut up and stop trying to tell him things. He had not had this many problems with his youki since he was a very young child.

He finally realized something, maybe it was not his mother's death that had driven his father mad, maybe it was listening to his youki. If this is what his youki got like when it was around something it wanted, there was no wonder he went insane trying to ignore its senseless ramblings.

And they had wanted him to listen to his youki when trying to find a mate? They had to have been crazy. He would take his little brother to see Sturaki and this would all be straightened out. With his added resolve in place, Sesshoumaru stepped into the clearing, ready to confront his brother.

- - - - -

Thanks for reading and/or reviewing.


	23. Mating Season Business

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 23: Mating Season Business

Inuyasha had awoken abruptly from his sleep to a high-pitched scream. His sleeping mind had already placed it before he was even entirely awake and he had run to the source of the sound. The only thought running through his head at the time was that he had to protect his pup.

Reaching the clearing with the well, he had seen Shippo cowering, waiting for the bear youkai to take a chunk out of him. Enraged at the idea, Inuyasha jumped in between the bear and kitsune without even pausing. It saved Shippo from harm, but cost him a nice gouge in his back.

Shoving the baby kitsune towards the well and out of harms way, he turned his attention back to the youkai who had dared to try and harm someone under his charge. Sizing up the youkai, he realized that this demon was barely worth his time and defeated it rather easily.

He had sensed the presence of his brother just outside of the clearing while he had been fighting the youkai, but since he had a dim recollection of waking in his brother's arms before leaving, he decided it was probably best to table that issue until the bastard decided to show himself. Besides, he had other things to deal with at the moment.

Asking the kitsune if he was okay, he purposefully kept his face blank even when Shippo jumped onto his shoulder. He wasn't sure how he felt about the matter. He was happy that the kitsune had not gotten eaten but very upset that he had not stayed with the others and thus gotten himself into this situation in the first place.

He was a little shocked that Shippo had come to the well specifically to seek him out because he was worried, but tried not to let it show. He did not want a repeat performance after all. It was his job to worry about the others, not theirs to worry about him.

As soon as the kitsune started smelling him, he knew that part of his secret would be out. He knew the feminine scent that was apparently becoming part of his natural scent would be enough to tell the kitsune that something was different about him.

However, he doubted that with his mostly untrained nose, the kitsune would be able to pick out the scent of his brother that was most likely covering him like a cloak to those who knew where to look. He was very glad for that fact. What would he say to a question about why he smelled like Sesshoumaru? He didn't even want to think about it.

The shout that he was still sick confirmed his initial assumptions and, while showing anger to the kitsune, he was inwardly sighing in relief. The kitsune didn't know about his brother, yet. If he could only get the runt back to the others before his brother decided to make an appearance, he wouldn't need to know about him either.

Hoping that his brother would just wait until he had finished his business with the kitsune, he tried to answer a couple questions the kitsune had come up with about mating season as quickly and succinctly as possible so that he could get the kitsune back to the others faster.

Just as he was beginning to think that maybe his elder brother was not going to come out until he had managed to get rid of the runt, he heard the bushes behind him part and could feel his brother's youki get closer to his. Unfortunately for him, the rustle caught Shippo's attention.

As he heard the frightened gasp, Inuyasha turned around with an angry, "What do you want, bastard?" He figured he might as well get it out of the way seeing as his brother was not going to give him a chance to get rid of the audience.

"Is that any way to speak to your better, half-breed?"

"Better? I don't see no 'better' around here."

"I was not aware you had lost your sight."

After the night and previous days that the hanyou had been having, he was not in the mood for this discussion at the moment, Inuyasha decided to cut to the chase. "Why did you come back?"

"Back?" Sesshoumaru asked and Inuyasha could see the almost look of confusion in his eyes.

"Yeah, back. Remember? You took off all the sudden and left me standing all alone with Bokusenou asking all sorts of uncomfortable questions?"

"I didn't run away if that is what you are implying."

"You said it, not me."

He saw Shippo on his shoulder looking back and forth between him and his brother looking incredibly confused. He had almost forgotten the runt was there. "I don't get it. Why aren't you trying to kill each other?"

"Who said we weren't trying to kill each other, runt?"

"You haven't drawn tetsusaiga yet, dog boy."

With a bit of a shock, Inuyasha realized that not only had he not drawn tetsusaiga, he had not even moved his hand towards it when his brother appeared. He had just assumed that he was not going to be attacked this time. When did he start assuming things like that about his brother?

Although, given that his brother had apparently held him for at least part of the night, he supposed a better question would be, when did his older brother start holding him while he slept?

"Umm…"

"I am not here for a fight."

Inuyasha took a step back and looked at his brother warily. "If you don't want a fight, what do you want now?"

"Why would you assume I want something, little brother?"

"You don't want something?"

He saw his elder brother had no response to that. "Have I struck you speechless, big brother?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I don't have time for this conversation. If you don't want to get to the point, we're leaving. Sango and Miroku are probably wondering what happened to us by now." With that, Inuyasha turned and walked out of the clearing towards Kaede's village.

He could see Shippo turning to look back at his older brother out of the corner of his eye. "Are you sure walking away from him is a good idea, Inuyasha?" Shippo whispered in his ear, although Inuyasha was quite sure that his brother could hear the kitsune's question loud and clear.

"Keh. What's that bastard gonna do?"

He could sense the nervousness coming off the kitsune in waves. Not being able to ignore it any longer, Inuyasha decided to try and calm Shippo's nerves. Ignoring that his brother could still hear what he was saying, he told the kitsune, "Sesshoumaru isn't here to kill me or you. We have mating season business to take care of. It doesn't really concern you so, after I drop you off with the monk and slayer, I'll be taking off with him."

"Mating season business? What kind of mating season business?" He now had Shippo's full attention which was good because he was no longer nervous, but bad because he wasn't so sure he wanted to answer the questions that were being posed, especially since he wasn't entirely sure what his elder brother wanted himself, he was just assuming it was mating season business.

"You don't need to know."

"You're not going off and getting a mate chosen for you, are you, dog boy?"

Inuyasha hesitated. Technically the mate had already been chosen for him before all this business had even begun, but he knew that was not the real question the kitsune was asking.

He saw Shippo's eyes widen almost comically, "You ARE going to get a mate chosen for you, aren't you?"

Inuyasha sighed, "It's not that simple, Shippo. Remember when you asked about how you find your mate?" At the kitsune's nod, he continued, "I told you that your youki would choose who your mate was going to be, right?"

"Yeah. But I thought you had chosen Kagome as your mate."

"If I had chosen her to be my mate, don't you think I would have marked her by now? We have been traveling together for over a year, after all."

"I thought you were just waiting for Kagome to accept the mating first. Wait. Does this mean she's NOT going to be your mate?"

The look of crushed hopes on the kitsune's face almost did him in. He knew that he couldn't be with Kagome because his youki refused to accept her as his mate, but hurting Shippo cut through him. He had tried so hard to be what the baby kitsune had needed, even if it was not what the kitsune or the other members of his group thought he needed.

However, despite how much it hurt the kitsune, he knew he couldn't go against his youki, especially not after what his dream had shown him last night. Like it or not, it looked like he was going to be stuck with mating his older brother. But, even with this knowledge, he felt the need to alleviate some of the upset he could feel coming off the kitsune baby.

Stopping where he was, Inuyasha found a tree and jumped up into it. Pulling Shippo down off his shoulder, he deposited the kitsune into his lap. He supposed that the kitsune had a right to know what was going on, he was practically his son, after all.

"Shippo, I know you wanted me and Kagome to mate, but I can't do it. I can't do that to her."

Shippo looked at him, worried and confused, "Why not? Why can't you take her as your mate? Don't you love her?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "This has nothing to do with love, runt. It has to do with who my youki wants as a mate."

"Doesn't it want Kagome?"

"No," Inuyasha answered, eyes downcast. He knew it was not something he had control over, but he still felt guilty for the fact that his youki did not find Kagome to be a suitable mate.

"But I always thought that your youki would want to mate with whoever you loved."

Seeing a chance to perhaps clear a few things up for the kitsune before he had similar problems in a couple decades, Inuyasha explained, "Actually, your own emotions have little to do with who your youki picks to be your mate."

"But my mom and dad loved each other," he said defensively.

"I'm sure they did, but their youkis most likely chose each other the first time they met. They, how does Kagome say it? Oh, yeah. Fell in love at first sight. Or at least, their youkis did."

Shippo still looked confused, "So is that why you can't mate with Kagome? She has no youki?"

The hanyou looked at the baby kitsune, shocked. That idea had never even occurred to him. Was that the only reason his youki did not want Kagome as a mate? "I-I really don't know, runt."

"If that was the case, father would never have mated with your mother, little brother."

They both jumped and looked down to where the voice had come from. Inuyasha inwardly cursed, how could he not have noticed his older brother's approach? He must be really out of it.

"Okay, if you know so much, do you also know why my youki has no desire to mate with her?"

"Most likely it has realized that she would not make an appropriate mate for you. It figures that your youki is more intelligent than you."

"What's wrong with Kagome!" Shippo shouted, momentarily forgetting who he was talking to in his rush to defend his adoptive mother.

"What isn't wrong with her?" the elder youkai scoffed. "She's human. She's weak. She's still a child even though she has the body of an adult."

"Don't talk about her like that! Inuyasha should mate with her! He loves her!"

His elder brother's eyes turned to him, "Is that so, baby brother? Do you love this human?"

'Great, the one question I don't want to answer,' Inuyasha thought. Even though he supposed it had some level of relevance to the situation, he really didn't like to think on his feelings for Kagome too much. He knew that he cared for the girl, but love? He wasn't entirely sure about that.

His desire to mate with her had come from more of a sense of obligation than anything else he supposed. She was the alpha female in their little almost-pack and the alpha female was always mated to the alpha male, at least she was in every case that he was aware of.

Then there was the fact that she accepted him as he was, human and demon side. She didn't want him to change. She was also a very good friend and he spent the vast majority of his time protecting her from everything under the sun, but did he really love her? He didn't know.

"I asked you a question, brother," came the voice that was suddenly a lot closer to him than it had been previously. Looking up, he realized that his brother was now on the branch right next to the one that he and Shippo were occupying and the kitsune was once again shaking.

Ignoring his brother for the moment, Inuyasha turned his attention to Shippo. "Come on, runt. You can't let him scare you. Besides, I'm right here, nothing's going to happen. Got it?"

He waited until he got a still-nervous nod from the kitsune before turning his attention to his older brother who had been watching the interaction intently.

"Why do you care if I love Kagome?"

Apparently that was the wrong answer for he once again found his neck being crushed by his brother's poisoned claws. He heard the gasp from Shippo but kept his eyes on his brother. As he watched, the golden orbs flashed to red and back again.

Realizing that being in a tree, sitting next to his adoptive son was not the best place to get into it with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha tried to calm the irate youkai. He reached out and tentatively touched his brother's hair. Ignoring the light snarl, he began to run his fingers through it again like he had back when talking to Bokusenou.

When he felt the grip around his neck loosen enough for speech, he said as calmly as he could, "I do not love her. I care for her, but I do not love her." That calmed him considerably, but Inuyasha could tell that his brother's youki had still not given up its grip entirely.

His brother snarled at him, "She cannot have you. I will not allow it."

Still trying to sooth him, Inuyasha decided to let one last piece of information slip in front of the kitsune. If the child had not yet figured out what was going on, he was certainly going to soon. "She will not have me. I am not hers. I am yours."

- - - - -

All right, I'm going to stop there. Poor Shippo, getting caught in the middle of this mess.

Please forgive the semi-out-of-character comments that I am sure most of them made. In any event, thank you for reading and/or reviewing as always. They are both very much appreciated. Until next time.


	24. Being Caught in a Spell

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 24: Being Caught in a Spell

Dog boy was acting very strange. For the first time that Shippo knew of, he had not started up a fight with his older brother on sight. Not really, anyway.

In fact, if he hadn't known any better, he would have said it was more of the way he argued with Miroku than the way he argued with his brother. To the kitsune's knowledge the dog brothers always fought with swords just as much as words, but neither one of them had drawn a sword.

When he asked his adoptive father about it, Inuyasha had looked surprised as if he had not been aware that he had not drawn his sword himself. All it served to do was worry Shippo more. Something was obviously very wrong with his father.

Then there was the fact that they were obviously talking about something they had done recently, but Shippo could not place when this would have happened. Maybe last night when he thought his adoptive father was missing?

Was he actually out doing something with his brother? It did not make sense to the kitsune, but then again, this whole discussion was making no sense to him. There was also the fact that his father had not been surprised when Sesshoumaru had walked out of the trees. It was almost as if he had already known the demon lord was there.

Apparently while he had been thinking, his father had grown tired of the conversation with his elder brother and decided to go back to the village. Shippo cast a glance back at the youkai lord, he didn't look too happy with the abrupt departure of his sibling. Then again, he never really looked happy no matter what was going on.

Asking Inuyasha if he was sure that it would be alright to leave like that, he was a little surprised when his question was answered with a question of what he thought the demon lord was going to do. Images ran through his head of being decapitated by the light whip or watching his father be impaled by his brother's hand again.

Trying to shake these pictures from his head, he asked his father why Sesshoumaru was there anyway. When he was told it was mating season business, his mind immediately jumped to the worst case scenario. Sesshoumaru had found a mate that it would be politically advantageous for Inuyasha to have and was going to force him into it.

He had heard of it happening in royal clans before. Not so much with demon nobility, but it often happened with the humans. He was scared that his father was going to be pulled away from him and forced to mate with an individual he had likely never met just to fulfill the whim of his elder brother.

When he did not immediately calm his fears, Shippo was sure that his worst nightmare had come true. But all that was put aside with the explanation of why his father could not take his mother as his mate.

No one had ever explained to him the reason behind finding a mate. He had always known that it had something to do with youki, but he had no idea that his own personal feelings would play no part in the matter. With all Miroku's talk about falling in love, he was a little disappointed to realize that love was not likely something he would be falling into, ever.

It led him to wonder what it was that he had been feeling for all those girls in the villages he had met. It couldn't be love, could it? Maybe they were talking about a different type of love. 'Yes, that must be it,' he decided.

The love he felt for the girls in the various villages was not the type of love that one would have for a mate. After all, he was still much too young to have a mate.

On the other hand, that observation certainly explained some of the more unusual pairings he had come across with demon mates. If it had little to nothing to do with love, demon mating season made sense. With everyone out and focusing on finding the one their youki called out to, it would be much easier to find your mate than if you had to go through the rather extensive courtship rituals that the humans in their pack seemed to favor.

So, now he knew that, when he was older, all he would have to do is find another demon his youki called to and mate with her. To that end, it made perfect sense that his adoptive father's youki did not call out to his adoptive mother's youki because his mother had no youki. When he asked to determine if his line of reasoning was correct, he found that not only did his father have no answer for him, but the demon lord had an answer.

He had not even been aware that Sesshoumaru had followed them and, if his father's reaction was any indication, he had not been aware of it either. After hearing the youkai lord's explanation for why his father's youki was not interested in his mother, he was outraged.

His heated statement, which should have earned him punishment from a very irate demon lord, seemed to completely pass under his notice. All except one point that is. Sesshoumaru found it to be very interesting that he had said his father loved his mother. So interesting, in fact, that he put his father on the spot about it.

Shippo immediately wished he had kept his mouth shut. If there was one thing he knew his father did not like to talk about, it was how he felt about people. When he heard silence instead of even an attempt at a response, he had assumed that the matter was going to be dropped and mentally released a sigh of relief.

That is, until the demon lord suddenly jumped onto the branch right next to him and his father. The youki of Sesshoumaru was overpowering the youki of his father and all his instincts were telling him to run and hide. He heard the demand again and began to shake. They were right next to a rather pissed off full dog demon and amazingly enough, his father was doing nothing about it.

In fact, Inuyasha rather pointedly ignored the demand in favor of trying to calm Shippo in his own way. Shippo found some comfort in the fact that his father was not scared of Sesshoumaru. Then again, his father also had the habit of purposely pissing off full-grown higher level youkai so maybe he just didn't know how to be scared. In any event, the confidence that his father was radiating did much in the way of calming the kitsune.

Then, his father apparently decided that the youkai sitting next to them was not already angry enough and tried to piss him off even more. While Shippo watched in horror, a hand shot out and elegant fingers wrapped around his father's throat. This was closer to what he had been expecting since the beginning of this rather bizarre encounter.

Closing his eyes in terror, not really wanting to see the last moments of his father's life, Shippo waited for the sounds of his father's neck snapping or the tell-tale poison burning through his skin. When he heard neither of those, he cautiously opened his eyes, not really wanting to know what was happening to his father, but not being able to stop his morbid curiosity.

What he saw shocked him. His father was, rather affectionately, stroking the hair of the youkai lord that had since loosened his grip on Inuyasha's throat. Glancing at Sesshoumaru's eyes, he could still see the hint of red in them that had appeared with his father's answer to the question. As he watched the interaction between the two, he realized that the red was fading slowly from the youkai's eyes.

He also realized something else. This behavior between the two of them reminded him a little of how his parents used to act towards each other. He could remember watching his mom calm down his dad from a rage in a similar manner to what Inuyasha was doing with Sesshoumaru at the moment. He couldn't remember his dad ever trying to choke his mom, but everything else appeared the same.

A rather disturbing thought occurred to the kitsune. His adoptive father had said he had mating season business with his elder brother. However, he had not said what exactly this 'business' was. Could it be that the mating season business was not what Shippo had assumed it to be?

Shippo had thought his father was going to be forced into mating some demoness for political purposes, but if this was any indication, he was not so sure that his father was going to be mating a demoness. It looked disturbingly like he was considering mating his own brother.

The kitsune immediately dismissed that idea as being ludicrous. His father had just told him that youki's fell in love at first sight. There was no way he would have been trying to kill his intended mate. More over, there was no way his intended mate would have been trying to kill him. He had to be missing something.

If the two of them were actually intended mates, they would have been acting a lot friendlier toward one another from the very beginning. He was sure of it. But, putting aside the past, he had to admit that they had not been acting nearly as aggressive during this particular meeting.

The most violent thing that had happened so far was his father getting choked by his elder brother, but that could possibly be written off to jealousy if the whole intended mates thing was to be believed. He had seen Kagome act in similar ways towards Inuyasha over the Kikyo issue, even if she did not have the physical strength to be anywhere near as brutal as the youkai lord.

The next words out of his adoptive father's mouth confirmed what he had almost completely ascertained himself. He knew his father did not lie when sounding so serious. So, if he said that he was his brother's instead of Kagome's, he meant it. Then, right in front of the disbelieving kitsune's eyes, Sesshoumaru grabbed Inuyasha and plopped him right into his lap.

Sure that THIS was going to provoke the hanyou, Shippo waited for the outburst. It never came. Instead, he watched his father almost cuddle into his elder brother and allow himself to be nuzzled. If it had been any other two people, Shippo would have called it affectionate. As it was, he was having a very hard time stringing two thoughts together at the moment.

This scene went against everything he knew to be true. His father and elder brother hated one another. They were constantly trying to kill each other. Yet, here they were, acting every bit the part of intended mates. When he saw the youkai lord move his attention to his father's neck, he couldn't take it any longer.

"What are you doing!" Shippo screamed at the top of his lungs.

He almost regretted the action when two pairs of golden eyes focused on him. "What are you talking about, runt?" his father growled out.

Shippo looked at Inuyasha in disbelief, he had thought it was obvious. "You're… you're CUDDLING with Sesshoumaru!"

Faster than Shippo could follow, his father was dropped to the ground from their perch, falling on his head, and the demon lord was standing regally on the path once more as if the entire incident had never occurred.

"Damn it, Sesshoumaru! What's wrong with you! You didn't have to drop me like that! You're such a bastard!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, little brother," Sesshoumaru replied, expressionless as ever.

"Don't know what I'm talking about, my ass! You dropped me from the fucking tree!"

"Be that as it may, it has no bearing on the matter at hand."

"So, you finally gonna tell me what you want, big brother?" Inuyasha asked with a sneer.

Shippo looked on the scene playing out below him. He sighed with relief. THIS was more like it. The two of them, seconds away from either drawing swords or ripping into each other with claws. This is what he was used to. Sure, it was violent, but at least it was normal. He'd been getting pretty worried there for a minute.

He was so relieved, he almost missed the youkai lord's reply. "You are going to come with me. We have a problem that must be resolved immediately. I trust you know of what I speak?"

Okay, now Shippo was confused again. What problem? With the exception of their rather odd behavior earlier in the day, there was no problem that he could see. Wait, maybe that was the problem. Maybe they were under some type of spell!

'Yes,' he decided. 'That must be it. They were involuntarily put under a spell of some sort and now they must find the person who caused the spell and force them to undo it.'

His father scoffed, "Of course I know what you're talking about. I'm not an idiot, you know."

"Really? You could have fooled me."

"Shut up, bastard!"

"Come, little brother," Sesshoumaru said, turning to go back the way he came.

Inuyasha gave a great sigh and took one step to follow him when Shippo called out, "But what about me?"

He watched his father stop and seem to contemplate things for a minute. A second later, his father was next to him in the tree once again, picking him up. He found himself being rather quickly returned to the village. Once he was just inside the village, Inuyasha told Shippo, "Tell everyone I'll be back as soon as I can, got that?"

At his nod, Inuyasha turned and walked back into the forest. As an afterthought, Shippo called out, "Good luck breaking the spell!"

He thought he might have heard a, "Keh," but he could have been mistaken. Turning back away from the woods, he raced towards Kaede's hut. Just wait until Sango and Miroku found out what he knew.

- - - - -

I have no idea when we'll get back to the shard hunting group again. It might be a while.

As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing.


	25. The Long Road to Sturaki's

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki

- - - - -

Chapter 25: The Long Road to Sturaki's

Sesshoumaru ordered his brother to follow him and began to walk off towards the mountain range that housed Sturaki's dwelling, sure Inuyasha would be right behind him. He could even feel his younger brother begin to follow him only to be stopped by the voice of his kitsune pup.

Knowing that he would not leave his adoptive son without protection in the woods, Sesshoumaru continued walking, but slowed his pace a bit. He was not trying to give his brother ample time to catch up after dropping off the kitsune, he was just enjoying the refreshing sounds of the forest around him. It was a rare occasion when he was given the opportunity of complete peace and quiet, especially since Rin had joined his company. Besides, it gave him time to try and get his thoughts back in order.

He found it to be very intriguing how his little brother had managed to somehow gain a son without having a mate. Watching their interaction in the tree only confirmed his initial supposition, even though the end of the conversation had angered his youki greatly.

He supposed he could understand the whole situation from the kitsune's perspective though. It was obvious that their little quasi-pack had his younger brother as its alpha male and the priestess as its alpha female. Having accepted Inuyasha as his adoptive father, it would follow that he had also accepted that wench of his brother's as his adoptive mother.

It also followed that his little brother would see the priestess as the most likely candidate for his mate. Not only because she was the alpha female and the alpha male tended to mate with the alpha female, but also because his son had accepted her as his mother. Even if he did not do it for himself, he might be tempted to do it for his son. For an unknown reason, this worried Sesshoumaru.

Would Inuyasha be open to finding his true mate or would he feel honor-bound to take that priestess as his mate? Recalling the rest of the conversation he had overheard, Sesshoumaru forced his youki to stop worrying so much.

His baby brother was indeed aware of the fact that he was not meant to mate with the priestess. He had told his son as much and none of the child's upset had changed his mind. It was not likely he would be changing his mind back either.

Tabling this line of thought, he turned his attention towards something much more bothersome to him. His youki was acting up again. That incident back in the tree was unforgivable. It was bad enough that he had held his brother while he was suffering from a fever, but to do it when they were both awake and perfectly healthy…

Worse still, if his younger brother's son had not called it to their attention, who knows how long he would have cuddled his baby brother. It was getting out of control. If he allowed it to remain unchecked much longer, who knew what he would end up doing.

He really needed to recenter himself like he had been taught all those years ago. His teachers would be ashamed of his current behavior. They had always expected so much better of him and now as an adult, he expected so much better of himself. His current behavior was completely unacceptable for a youkai lord.

Not being able to hear his younger brother, he decided that he probably had a few minutes before he showed up again and closed his eyes. Searching deep into the core of his being, he found his center of calm. It was the eye of the tornado that was his youki's desires. The only place that remained immobile in the currents that were mating season. Calling it to the surface, it took all his efforts to overlay the calm on his youki.

Sesshoumaru's youki was not overly pleased at this attempt at calm. It was demanding to be freed once again. But, with the absence of his younger brother's youki calling out to it in the immediate vicinity, he was able to keep his grip on it.

It was only moments after he had forced himself into this calm that he heard a cry of, "Good luck breaking the spell!" echo through the forest. It sounded to be coming from his brother's kitsune.

Wondering what his baby brother had told his adoptive son after they had left Sesshoumaru's presence, he asked Inuyasha as he caught up with him, "Spell?"

He saw his little brother shrug out of the corner of his eye. "Keh. I don't know. The runt just gets weird ideas in his head, that's all."

Realizing that that was the most answer he was going to get out of the hanyou, Sesshoumaru sped up the pace, Inuyasha changing speed to match. It was midmorning already and he would really rather get to Sturaki today. If his brother was not his real intended, he did not want to be anywhere near him come tomorrow morning.

As they traveled through the forests, Sesshoumaru noted that his younger brother was not saying much of anything. If he had not known any better, he would have thought Inuyasha was feeling a bit forlorn. However, this could not possibly be the case. Inuyasha was not the type to get forlorn.

He found he was unable to brush away the feeling that something was wrong with his baby brother. He cast a glance towards the hanyou and saw a look of resignation on his face. What could have caused that look to be there? Not that he cared, but he could not remember having ever seen such a look on his brother's face before.

It was almost as if he had given up. 'But given up on what?' he thought. Sesshoumaru realized rather abruptly that his baby brother had not even bothered to ask where they were going or why they were going there. He had told him to come and he came.

By this point, they had been walking for hours and still, there was not a word of question out of his younger brother's mouth. He had not said anything at all the entire time except when he had first asked about the kitsune's comment.

Normally he would be happy with this turn of events. He tended to spend so much time arguing with Inuyasha when they were together that he found it difficult to keep his stoic mask in place. However, now, without the arguing in place, he was feeling completely out of sorts. He had no idea what to make of this quiet little brother of his.

If he was insolent, he could strike back. If he just wanted to babble nonsense at him, he could suffer to listen or ignore it. But this, this silence was maddening. This heaviness that hung in the air between them was uncomfortable. He was almost ready to do anything to break the silence.

Realizing what he had been considering doing a second after he opened his mouth, he quickly shut it again without saying a word. What had he been thinking? He should be happy that the half-breed wasn't talking and he would not have to expend energy on useless chatter, not initiating it himself.

Mentally berating himself for having such foolish thoughts, he reminded himself, once again, that he was a youkai lord. He did not give into such ridiculous whims of fancy. He had gone weeks without speaking when he was younger. He could go a single day without talking to his little brother now.

These thoughts firmly in mind, he glanced at his brother again. There was still that look of resignation on his face and his eyes had such an empty look to them that it was painful for him to see. He could not fathom what had put that look on his baby brother's face. He had seemed fine with the kitsune this morning.

The longer that look remained on his baby brother's face, the stronger the call from his youki became. It was currently trying to break through his veneer of calm and comfort the being it saw as its intended mate. With the approach of mating season, it had become more powerful than it usually was. So, whereas he might have initially been able to fight off the urge, he was in no real position to do so at the moment.

No longer being able to stand it, he stopped suddenly, turned to his brother, and asked, "What is it?"

Inuyasha stopped as well, asking "What is what?" with a confused look on his face.

Sesshoumaru was not in the mood for this right now. His youki was complaining to him about having a distressed intended mate and he didn't even know what the problem was. How could he correct the problem if he didn't know what it was? Not that he was trying to fix the problem for his little brother's sake. He just wanted his youki to shut up and give him some peace.

With a sigh, he said, "You have had that look on your face since we left that accursed village of yours. Why?"

He watched his brother's eyes widen and then glance from side to side, not looking directly at him. His own eyes narrowed in response. His little brother was obviously trying to hide something from him and he wanted to know what it was.

Instead of answering the question, Inuyasha asked, "What look are you talking about?"

"Do not take me for a fool, little brother."

"Maybe if you didn't ask such dumb questions, you wouldn't look like a fool."

Tired of this, Sesshoumaru pointedly ignored his youki which was still displeased and continued walking toward Sturaki's dwelling saying, "Very well, do not tell me. It matters not."

If he knew his baby brother the way he thought he did, this dismissal would convince the hanyou to talk. He had seen it work in the past and hoped that it would work now. All this thinking about it had actually made him slightly curious himself as to what troubled his brother.

Less than a minute later, he heard a soft, dejected murmur, "It's not like you care anyway."

He stopped short and turned. That was not a voice he had ever heard from his baby brother before. Who was this and what had happened to the little brother he knew? This creature before him looked so… crestfallen. So unlike the arrogant brother he had known for the last two centuries, he was hardly recognizable as the same being.

He felt his youki rage at this injustice. It demanded that he fix this and fix it now! And, for once, he agreed wholeheartedly. This individual standing in front of him was not his little brother. It couldn't be. He would find out whom or what had caused his brother to end up this way and take care of it. For some reason, seeing that empty look in his eyes and hearing the dejection in his voice hurt him deeper than he wanted to admit.

Faster than the eye could see, he was back in front of Inuyasha. "Tell me what is wrong now," he stated in his do-not-question-me voice.

"Nothing, bastard, get away from me."

When his younger brother then tried to walk by him, his youki broke to the surface and, enraged at the insolence being show by his intended mate, shoved him into a nearby tree. "Do not test my patience, little brother. Tell me what is wrong. I will not ask again."

"Why are you doing this to me? You don't care! You're just being a cruel bastard! Leave me alone!"

Sesshoumaru had no response to that. He felt his hold on his brother loosen and the hanyou pull out of his grip and disappear into the forest, but he remained immobile in shock. What in the seven hells had happened to his intended mate?

- - - - -

Thank you so much for reading and/or reviewing. Even if I do not respond directly, I still read and consider them all. They make me smile.


	26. What Do You Want?

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest, there's also an awful lot of cursing in this chapter, you'll see why shortly (believe it or not, I don't curse at all in real life)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki and Kurasko (again, sorry if it means anything)

- - - - -

Chapter 26: What Do You Want?

Inuyasha was unsure where they were going and he really didn't care. There was no point in worrying after all. His brother was leading him wherever he was leading him and that was that. It wasn't like his opinion on the matter was going to be asked and right now, he wasn't so sure he could leave his elder brother.

After they had left the village, he had finally gotten the chance to think about what had happened. His elder brother had held him, actually held him. He had acted almost as if he cared about him or dare he think, loved him? But then Shippo had called his attention to it and Inuyasha had once again found himself cast aside like the unwanted wretch his brother saw him to be.

He had responded to the rejection with the anger he normally showed his elder brother, but it was all for show. Inside, he was thinking back to his dream of the night before. He would never have that. His brother didn't want him. It was only his youki acting up like Bokusenou had said. But still, for that one moment in time, he had felt wanted, possibly even needed by the youkai lord.

Nevertheless, as much as he might desire it himself, the very idea of being with him repulsed his big brother and Inuyasha realized that Shippo had been right, even if he had not known it at the time. Inuyasha was under a spell of a sort. However, he doubted it was the kind that could be broken.

He knew in his heart that he wanted to be with his older brother. No, needed to be with Sesshoumaru. But, the sure knowledge of the rejection he knew would come was enough to make him feel completely despondent.

And so, he walked next to his brother, matching him pace for pace without saying a word. It was just too painful for him to even attempt it.

He noticed his brother looking at him out of the corner of his eye from time to time. He tried not to worry about what Sesshoumaru was thinking about. He doubted it was of any real importance to him in any event. 'He's probably just making sure I don't fall behind,' he thought miserably.

When his elder brother finally stopped, he stopped with him. He did not feel like answering the bastard's question about what that look on his face was. It wasn't like his older brother actually cared anyway.

Suddenly he found himself face to face with his brother, who was ordering him to tell him what was wrong. 'How dare he act like he actually cares?' It was like some sick joke to Inuyasha. His older brother was only acting like this to get what he wanted out of Inuyasha and then he would discard him once again.

With this thought in mind, Inuyasha shoved away from his brother and took off into the forest by himself. He would not be played for a fool again.

As he stormed through the forest, he suddenly felt the presence of a demon. When a cursory sniff revealed nothing, he realized that the demon in question must be downwind from him. However, from the power of the youki that he was feeling, he knew that, while it was not his brother, it was most definitely a higher level youkai.

Deciding that a fight would definitely help allay some misplaced aggression, he drew tetsusaiga and called out, "Well, what are you waiting for? Come on out and fight me!"

He watched as a figure appeared a few feet in front of him. The being had light brown hair pulled back into a topknot with wisps of hair surrounding his face. His pale green eyes flashed with something Inuyasha would almost interpret as lust. He had to admit that this was a handsome man, even if he was nowhere near as attractive as Sesshoumaru.

He heard the being chuckle. "My, my, aren't we feisty?"

"Look, asshole, you want to fight or what?"

He watched a slow smile spread over the demon's face. "Now why would I want to do that? Imagine my luck, mating season being less than a day away and running into such an enchanting demoness. How is it you're not already claimed or mated, sweetheart?"

"Who the fuck are you calling a demoness!"

"Sorry, darling. I had merely thought you would not want to be reminded that you were only half-demon. Not that it matters to me, love. I'm still interested."

Taking in the rather seductive look that the demon in front of him had put on with disbelief, Inuyasha wondered what he was playing at. Was this guy a complete idiot? "Yo, moron, use your nose or, hell, use your eyes even. I'm not a girl!"

"Being a little flat-chested is nothing to be ashamed of," he said while stepping forward. "I am sure that, given time, you will have breasts as large as any other demoness'. You are still rather young after all."

Inuyasha's eyes grew larger in horror. Since he had learned how to defend himself properly, he had never run from a fight. However, he was now considering making an exception. This demon in front of him was obviously insane and, as he stepped closer, Inuyasha found himself unconsciously stepping back to keep some distance between them.

Trying to regain his bearings enough to figure out what to do, Inuyasha realized he didn't even know who this demon was. Well, it was a way to buy time if nothing else. "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

The demon stopped short. "I am so sorry for forgetting to introduce myself. I was just so entranced by your attributes that I completely forgot myself." Then with a sweeping bow, he added, "I am Lord Kurasko. May I have the honor of knowing your name as well, angel?"

Ignoring the question entirely, Inuyasha stated, "I ain't never heard of you."

He watched a troubled look cross Kurasko's face before it was once again replaced by a beaming smile. "I am the Lord of the East. I have a mighty kingdom. Surely you have heard of this."

"Nope, sorry. Doesn't ring a bell."

He silently observed the demon lord in front of him try to formulate a response to that. Watching this lord flounder was actually kind of fun. Sesshoumaru never would have allowed himself to be found at such a loss for words. Then again, he also could not picture his brother confusing a male with a female and trying to pick up said person in the middle of the woods.

At the image this idea brought to mind, he inadvertently let a small grin slip onto his lips. The lord in front of him took it in an entirely different way however, "Ah, I see. You were teasing me. It is not nice to tease, my beautiful flower."

"For your information, I wasn't teasing. I have never heard of you before in my life. Besides, if you're the Lord of the East, what the fuck are you doing in the Western Lands?"

"I am in the Western Lands on my own business. But how is it that you have never heard of the great kitsune Lord of the East?"

"Kitsune, hungh?" Well that explained the looks and the smell that was coming off him. Up until this point, Inuyasha had not quite been able to place what type of demon he was looking at. The scent had teased at the back of his mind, but he had been too concerned with fending off this unwanted suitor to worry about it at the time.

It was a well-known fact that kitsunes were tricksters. As a result, those that were older and highly trained in kitsune magic were able to change many things about themselves, even their own scent if they so desired. He gave the youkai lord in front of him the once over again. He idly wondered if Shippo was going to end up anything like him when he was an adult.

Thinking about what he knew of the lord so far, he made a mental note to train idiocy out of his adoptive son as soon as possible. He also wondered if bad noses were a kitsune thing. He had never heard of it, but he supposed it was possible.

"Like what you see, cutie?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I saw you giving me the once over, baby. Don't worry, you don't have to be embarrassed. You can look at me as much as you want, so long as you allow me the same privilege."

Shuddering in disgust, Inuyasha backed up again only to find his back running into a tree. Sure the guy was mildly handsome he supposed, but he was NOT interested in him that way! "How many times do I have to tell you, asshole? I am a demon, not a demoness! What the fuck is that nose on your face for! Decoration!"

He watched Kurasko's eyes narrow into a glare as he stepped even closer. He supposed that this glare would have been considered intimidating by most other youkai, however, he was used to his brother and so this was nothing. He heard a growled out, "It's not nice to lie, sweetie," as the kitsune youkai came within scant feet of him.

"I'm not lying, bastard! Take a whiff!"

He watched Kurasko take him up on his offer. It was almost comical how the expression on his face changed from annoyance to shock in a matter of seconds. Inuyasha would have laughed too, except now the youkai was right on top of him, knocking tetsusaiga out of his hand, sniffing again.

"Get the fuck off of me!" he cried attempting to push the demon away. He wasn't sure why, but he did not seem to have his usual strength today. Before he could consider it anymore, however, he saw a flash of white and felt the kitsune youkai being pulled off of him forcefully.

The next thing he saw was the kitsune youkai on his ass on the other side of the clearing with his brother standing between them in an attack stance. "Ah, Lord Sesshoumaru, I see you have scented the same hanyou I have. Unfortunately for you, I intend to claim this one. You'll just have to go look elsewhere," the kitsune said, rising from the ground.

Not one to stand idly by while his life was being decided, Inuyasha retrieved tetsusaiga and shouted, "I never said I was going to do shit with you, Kurasko! Get the fuck out of here!"

He heard a growl of, "Stay out of this, little brother," from his older brother without the youkai even turning around.

He watched the kitsune's eyes widen in shock. "'Little brother'? What do you mean, 'little brother'?"

"It is of no concern to you. You will leave this area immediately," his elder brother said, rather menacingly.

He had not had time in the past to contemplate his elder brother in a menacing mood. Generally, he was trying to keep his own head attached to his body when he was in such a state. However, now that it was focused on someone else, he realized just how sexy it was.

His brother's youki, which grew in power when he was angered, was completely overwhelming every other youki in the small clearing. It was making his own youki practically purr in contentment. His intended mate was so powerful.

The sheer magnitude of his older brother's youki was enough to make his own youki want him to drop to the ground in submission before its intended mate. The only thing that kept him on his feet was his absolute determination of will. He would not submit to his bastard of a brother so easily. He refused to.

It was very hard not to though, especially since, if he hadn't known any better, he would have thought that his elder brother was defending him. Unfortunately for him, he knew this was most likely not the case. It was much more likely that he merely did not like Kurasko for some political reason and was trying to keep him from getting something he wanted just to piss the youkai off.

Besides, there was a rather overbearing possessive side to his brother and he supposed that being the younger brother, his elder brother most likely saw his entire life as belonging to him. Therefore, Sesshoumaru would see it as his right to decide who would be his younger brother's mate regardless of what anyone else thought on the matter.

Which was not to say that he wanted this kitsune youkai as a mate. He most certainly did not, but he really didn't think he needed his elder brother to defend him. He had been doing a perfectly good job himself. He was pointedly ignoring his inability to move the youkai off him when he had been pinned to the tree. He could have gotten him off; he just wasn't given enough time to, that's all.

Bringing his attention back to the ongoing conversation, if you could call it that, in front of him, he heard the kitsune ask, "So what do you want for him?"

Outraged, Inuyasha rushed towards Kurasko screaming, "I am not for sale, you fucking asshole!" He had almost gotten to the kitsune when he felt himself being brought up short. He had forgotten about his brother!

As he struggled against the hold on him, still yelling, he realized that he was being lifted from the ground by the back of his haori and placed back behind his elder brother. He was just about to start in on his brother about treating him like a child, when he turned to see the look in his eyes.

Sesshoumaru's eyes were flashing from gold to red. Inuyasha made note of just how close his brother's transformation seemed to be in the last couple days, just about anything seemed to set it off. He wondered if his brother was always like this around mating season. Maybe it was the fallout from having been so stoic the rest of the year.

In any event, he decided that his elder brother would most likely not thank him for calming him down before the kitsune was dealt with and kept his mouth shut. Besides, it was kind of nice to feel like his elder brother actually might care for him.

Having apparently come to the conclusion that his younger brother was not going to do anything 'stupid', he watched Sesshoumaru turn around and face Kurasko once more. From the look on the kitsune's face, his eyes were still flashing red. The next words confirmed it, "Of course I meant nothing by that, Lord Sesshoumaru. You are certainly welcome to do with your younger brother as you see fit. I never meant to imply otherwise."

It was too little, too late. In the blink of an eye, the kitsune was facing down the poison-tipped claws of his elder brother's hand. "You will not bother my little brother again. Do you understand?"

After Kurasko gave a rather shaky nod of the head, his brother lowered his claws and spoke again, "Was there some reason for your presence here other than to terrorize the local demons during mating season?"

No longer being threatened by the claws, the kitsune appeared much more relaxed and calmly answered the question. "Actually, I did have business with you, Lord Sesshoumaru, but I can see you are already busy and would not want to interrupt."

His elder brother did not even cast a glance in his direction before saying, "Ignore him. Tell me why you have come," and settling in for a rather long and detailed conversation with the Lord of the East over some possible new invader.

Once again discarded by his elder brother, Inuyasha began to walk off when he heard, "Do not wander off, Inuyasha. Remember what happened last time."

Right. He had forgotten that. His mind was obviously not in complete working order at the moment. Seeing a likely tree nearby, he jumped up into the branches and decided to take a nap. If there was nothing else to do, he might as well get some sleep to make up for all the excess energy he seemed to be expending towards being able to bear pups.

With one last glance towards his brother, he closed his eyes and promptly fell into a dreamless sleep.

- - - - -

Believe it or not, credit for the inspiration for this chapter goes to Snowfall. I highly doubt this is what Snowfall had in mind, but there you go.

As always, thank you for reading and/or reviewing.


	27. A New Foe?

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki and Kurasko

- - - - -

Chapter 27: A New Foe?

Sesshoumaru stood in shock looking at the tree his brother had previously been backed up against for a moment. What was all that about? He had thought he was being completely reasonable in his request.

How was he supposed to know the problem with his little brother if Inuyasha would not tell him? Besides, wasn't the fact that he showed any interest at all in the situation more than proof enough that he wanted to know the answer?

If he had not cared one way or the other, he would not have even bothered asking what was wrong. But, that look on his brother's face had bothered him much more than he would have liked to admit. And now, he still had no idea what was wrong.

Either way, his youki was now furious at him. Not only had he not managed to determine what was wrong with his future mate, he had allowed said intended mate to go out into the forest unaccompanied, in a weakened state. As far as his youki was concerned, this behavior was completely unacceptable.

Knowing what kind of trouble his younger brother could get into on his own, Sesshoumaru began to follow his scent trail into the woods. On the off chance that he was actually supposed to mate with his baby brother, he did not want another demon coming for him first.

However, as he drew closer to where his brother was, he smelled a scent he knew quite well near his little brother. It was Lord Kurasko of the Eastern Lands. Idly wondering what business he could possibly have here, Sesshoumaru switched his approach so that he was now downwind from the two.

The presence of the other youkai lord definitely complicated things. He could not just walk in and retrieve his brother. It would give Lord Kurasko the impression that he cared about the pup. At the same time, he could not just leave Inuyasha with the youkai.

As he continued walking forward to the scene, his youki was bubbling up in the back of his mind. It was very concerned that his intended mate was in the presence of a higher level youkai other than himself who was intent on mating with him. Sesshoumaru pushed it aside, reminding himself that his younger brother seemed to be quite accomplished at holding potential mates at bay if previous mating seasons were any indication.

Besides, if Inuyasha really was his intended mate, he would not be interested in the kitsune lord. It stood to reason in Sesshoumaru's mind that if he only felt a strong connection to his mate, his mate should only feel a strong connection to him as well.

As his mind alighted upon that idea, he began to see this encounter as more of a test of his baby brother's intentions than an actual attack on his right to have whoever he wanted as his mate. If his little brother did not pass this test, he would know that he was in no way suitable to be his mate without even having to worry about visiting Sturaki.

With these thoughts in mind, Sesshoumaru silently took up a post near the clearing, watching and waiting.

He knew well that Lord Kurasko had been looking for a mate for years now. All the high level demonesses who were of age had already been claimed or mated with and the kitsune lord did not wish to mate with a commoner.

By the aura of his youki, it was blatantly obvious that his younger brother was a high level hanyou. Not only that, he was quite powerful as well. Sesshoumaru knew for a fact that the kitsune lord would want Inuyasha for his very own, especially since his younger brother had started emitting that feminine scent.

Over the past couple of days, the slight feminine scent had begun to overpower his masculine scent. Given that the feminine scent seemed intrinsically entwined with the scent his little brother was releasing with the approach of mating season, he knew the scent would only get stronger as time went by until mating season was over when it would gradually fade into the background once again.

However, for the moment, his little brother's scent was projecting loud and clear that he was a fertile FEMALE hanyou and looking for a mate. You had to be almost right on top of him to notice the masculine scent that was underlying the whole mess.

As such, he was not at all surprised when he heard the argument between the hanyou and kitsune over whether or not his little brother was a female. He found himself becoming amused while listening to his brother rant. He doubted the kitsune knew what had hit him.

There Lord Kurasko was, thinking he was wooing a female hanyou, only to have a scathing remark be the response to his every word. Not only that, but his little brother had neatly delivered what was quite possibly the most unforgivable insult imaginable to the youkai lord. He had not known who Lord Kurasko was. Had he been the type, he would have been rolling on the floor laughing.

He supposed the funniest part of it all was that he knew for fact that his younger brother was not lying. He had none of his little tells going off and his eyes showed only confusion and annoyance. It was just unfathomable to the kitsune lord that such a high level hanyou would not know who he was.

His youki was also quite impressed at the relative skill his younger brother was showing in fending off this demon's advances. It was well known that Lord Kurasko, indeed, kitsunes in general, were quite bewitching. However, his baby brother was not only showing absolutely no interest in pursuing a relationship with the kitsune, he was acting as if he could not feel any of the vast amounts of appealing pheromones the youkai was emitting especially for him.

He absentmindedly wondered if there was anything about his little brother that could be perceived as unacceptable in a mate. True, he did not have the training and was rather rough around the edges, but these were things that could be worked upon. But, here he was, a day before mating season, showing no interest in one who should rightfully be considered a potential mate. It was mind boggling to Sesshoumaru. When had his baby brother gotten such strength?

Pondering all this, he turned his attention back to the conversation that was taking place. When he heard his little brother utter, "Kitsune, hungh?" he knew what was going through his mind. Especially with the once over he gave the youkai in front of him. He was wondering if that was how his son was going to turn out. Watching his eyes carefully for any reaction that might show additional interest, he saw a flash of disgust and then a flash of determination before the mask dropped back over his eyes.

Rationalizing that his little brother had most likely found something lacking in the kitsune in front of him and sought to correct it in his own kitsune, he idly wondered if he should ask his younger brother about it. Despite all evidence to the contrary, he knew his baby brother was incredibly observant. It was possible he had picked up on something that Sesshoumaru himself had missed. Not likely, but possible.

As the kitsune lord drew closer to his younger brother, however, Sesshoumaru felt his whole being go on alert. Up to this point, they had just been talking and it did not appear as if Inuyasha was having any problems dealing with Lord Kurasko. The tables had turned now, with the youkai coming in on the hanyou who was pinned with his back to a tree.

There was no where for the hanyou to escape to now without losing face and it made Sesshoumaru's youki nervous. He knew that his intended mate would not back down from the challenge no matter what. He was preparing to intervene when the kitsune was suddenly on his little brother.

Not wasting a moment, he forcibly removed the kitsune, throwing him to the other side of the clearing. His youki was furious. Lord Kurasko had gotten entirely too close to his intended mate. 'How dare he touch what is mine!'

Then the lord had the gall to ask what he wanted as a price for his intended mate. As if he would give him up for anything that this pitiful excuse for a youkai in front of him could offer. 'As if I would give him up for anything in the world,' his youki whispered. His youki took complete control then and, after making sure his intended mate was safe, set about removing the threat to his mating.

Thankfully for political relations, he was able to stop himself short of disemboweling the kitsune. It was a very near thing though. His youki was calling for blood and death. This being had dared to touch what was his and then tried to barter as if he had made no offense in the first place. He obviously needed to be taught his place.

He watched in disinterest as the kitsune quaked in fear before him. His youki was pleased that this youkai understood just how powerful he was and would not make any more attempts on his intended. Forcibly calming his youki when he felt the kitsune had groveled sufficiently, he turned his mind off mating season and on to the business of running his lands. It was his responsibility to be on the lookout for possible invaders after all.

As such, he realized that the trip to see Sturaki would have to be postponed momentarily. He first needed to see to his lands, but his youki refused to allow him to just let Inuyasha leave. It was still ranting about what could happen to his relatively defenseless future mate while he was gone.

To that end, he reminded his brother not to leave and was rather pleased when, instead of leaving, Inuyasha jumped into a tree to take a nap. His youki approved. If he was stuck working instead of being with his intended, it was best for his intended mate to be resting and replenishing his energy. After all, it made for a healthier mate and healthier pups.

Turning his full attention to the kitsune and what he was trying to tell him, Sesshoumaru noted the smirk on Lord Kurasko's face. Annoyed, but not showing it, he asked, "You find something amusing, Lord Kurasko?"

Still smiling, the youkai replied, "I think I've finally figured it out."

"Figured what out, exactly?"

"You want your little brother for your own mate."

Sesshoumaru forced himself to remain completely expressionless. If Lord Kurasko, who he only had occasional contact with, could see it, who else would be able to? He could not outright deny it or confirm it as he was still not sure himself. So, deciding to take the safe route, he asked, "Why would you think such a thing?"

"Oh, come on, Lord Sesshoumaru. You came and 'saved' him from me. You haven't really been paying attention to a word I have been saying and, now that you are sure that he is safe and asleep, only now are you willing to give me your attention. If that is not the actions of a youkai looking after his intended mate, I do not know what is."

"I fail to see how this is any of your business. If you have nothing more to say to me, then I must insist you take your leave." That was normally enough to either get the person in question to leave or switch topics. He had found it to be quite useful in the past. Thankfully it worked this time for he had no real response for the youkai's accusations.

"Very well, Lord Sesshoumaru. I won't make you say you weren't paying attention, but I will start over just in case you missed something. Is that all right with you?" he asked, giving an annoying little grin that made Sesshoumaru want to claw it right off his face. He refrained, however.

With an incline of the head from the dog demon, the kitsune began his retelling. "I believe that there is a new threat in our lands. It is possibly greater than any we have ever faced previously.

"Over the past two months, there have been many mysterious deaths among higher level youkai in my territory. Their bodies are found, torn asunder, being laid out for the carrion predators. In some cases, my armies have been unable to even determine whom the body was from.

"This slaughter began in the far eastern part of my territory, but it has been moving further inland as time has gone by. There are no scent trails left by the being that is committing these atrocities and only a faint aura of darkness resides in the air over the corpses.

"As of yet, there have been no survivors from these attacks. The lower level youkai have remained unharmed as far as my men have been able to ascertain. For some reason this creature has only been attacking the higher level youkai.

"I have come to ask for your assistance in this matter."

Sesshoumaru studied the youkai lord in front of him. He knew that the matter must be quite serious if he was coming to ask for help, something all youkai were loathe to do as a general rule. However, he had problems of his own and did not relish the idea of assisting a territory that was not his own. On the other hand, their borders were close and if what he said was true, it might not be long before he found his own lands being preyed upon by this unknown invader.

With all these thoughts in mind, he asked, "Why should I assist you?"

"If this intruder continues in this manner, it will be in your lands before you know it. It must be stopped now. It is in your best interests to impede it now before it starts reeking havoc on your lands," the kitsune replied, lowering his gaze from the dog demon's gaze. He was asking him for a favor of a sort, after all.

Noting the dropped gaze indicating submission, Sesshoumaru found himself feeling the slight urge to help coming from his youki. It was an instinctual desire to help those who were lower than him, putting themselves willingly under his authority and he had always loathed it. It did not do for others to see themselves as being worthy of his notice. They would use it against him, he was sure of it.

However, with the havoc Inuyasha had been playing on his youki lately, it was much more difficult for him to control and he realized that he needed to get away from this demon lord as quickly as possible before he agreed to something he would not normally agree to. Despite this, he knew that there was some merit to the lord's words.

Keeping all this in mind, he responded, "I shall look into the situation myself. If there is nothing further, I suggest you take your leave of my lands."

"Actually, there is one more thing you can do for me, Lord Sesshoumaru."

"What is that?" Sesshoumaru asked expressionlessly though he was beginning to feel the tedium of still talking to this youkai.

"You can give your intended a kiss for me," Lord Kurasko said with a wink.

Before Sesshoumaru could fully process what the kitsune had said, Lord Kurasko disappeared in poof of smoke that signified kitsune magic. Allowing him to depart without contest, he idly wondered what the fallout would be if he were to kill the eastern lord.

Thinking of the chaos that would result right on his own borders with this death, especially since there was no immediate blood heir at the moment, he came to the conclusion that it was in his best interests to allow him to continue his life. Besides, his youki was reminding him that he had more important things to take care of, like his possible intended mate.

Looking up into the tree where his little brother was sleeping, he wondered once again if it was normal for him to require so much rest. Seeing as there was nothing for him to gauge it against, he presumed that it most likely was.

He had also noticed, having been around his baby brother the past couple of days, that the power of his youki had been fluctuating slightly. It seemed to slowly become weaker as the time he was awake went by. It was now a little weaker than it normally was; however, as he slept it was gaining more of its power back.

In the back of his mind, he wondered at that. Perhaps his brother's body was drawing on his youki for the transformation to being able to bear pups. If that was the case, he wasn't sure about the wisdom of waking his brother from sleep.

His body most likely needed the rest to complete the transformation. Without it, there was an increased possibility he would die. 'And I have been forcing him to follow me from one place to another since this change started,' his youki berated him.

However, he could also not just stay here and let him rest. They still needed to get to Sturaki as well as the fact that there were other demons in the forest who would love to attack or claim this defenseless creature. They were no longer in the safety of Inuyasha's forest where his baby brother was well-known and feared. Out here, they would not care who he was, they would attack anyway.

Making a decision, he jumped onto the tree limb his little brother was resting on. Landing lightly, it did not wake the hanyou. He had considered awakening the pup, but his youki had rebelled against the idea. His intended mate was obviously in need of the rest and him disturbing it for no good reason was unforgivable.

As such, he picked up the sleeping boy with his fur accompaniment and settled the sleeping body close to his own. He then leapt off the branch and gracefully continued his trek to see Sturaki, unconsciously being careful not to wake his baby brother in the process.

He was incredibly grateful that Lord Kurasko was not there to see this scene. He could almost hear him laughing now. Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he walked as regally as he was able to while carrying a sleeping half-demon. After all, as his teachers had always said, "Appearing to be dignified is over halfway to being there."

- - - - -

So, now we have a new enemy? Possibly.

I have only a vague idea of what the 'fur accompaniment' of Sesshoumaru's is called so it will most likely remain just as stated. At least that way, no one can tell me I am incorrect. Oh, and it can move. He has used it as a type of second arm when battling Inuyasha before.

By the way, I know some of you really wanted a fight. However, for the reasons I gave in the chapter, I do not think Sesshoumaru would kill Lord Kurasko and, with his current temperament, that is how the fight would end. I might put in an actual fight in a future chapter.

Thanks always for reading and/or reviewing.


	28. Sturaki's At Last

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki

- - - - -

Chapter 28: Sturaki's At Last

Inuyasha felt very comfortable and warm. Something was telling him to wake up, but he did not want to. He was feeling safe and protected and wherever he was, smelled wonderful. He took a deeper breath and realized abruptly that it was his brother's scent.

This realization brought him closer to consciousness and he noticed that the warmth he was feeling was brought about by his brother's fur accompaniment. The last time he had felt it, it had been used as a weapon, but now it was as if it was a warm, comfortable little nest created just for him.

He felt so safe and protected in his elder brother's 'embrace' that he found himself drifting back off without ever fully waking. He languished in the darkness between waking and sleeping for an unknown time, feeling the gentle sway that told him his brother was moving.

He lazily wondered if his elder brother had tried to wake him before picking him up or had just not wanted to awaken him. Either way, he was glad for the rest. He had been feeling so tired lately and even now, he was still rather drowsy. He hoped this condition would go away soon or he would be in real trouble when his brother finally decided it was time to get rid of him.

But, for the time being, it appeared that his older brother was willing to take care of him after a fashion and he was willing to let him. He had to admit that he was in need of the assistance at the moment even if he could only admit it to himself in this half-waking state of his.

He snuggled his head further into the chest of his elder brother. If Sesshoumaru knew he was partially awake, he had no doubt that he would be finding himself on the ground, but he was clinging to sleep in the hopes that he could stay in his beloved's embrace just a little longer. When there was no reaction to his movement, he figured he had managed to fool his elder brother and allowed himself to drift once again.

Countless minutes or even hours later, he found himself rather rudely awoken by being unceremoniously dumped on the ground. As he had been expecting it, it did not really surprise him, but he had been hoping (against hope, apparently) that this being held by his brother was a step towards his elder brother perhaps gaining more feelings towards him.

Even though he had long since come to the conclusion that his brother would never find him to be a suitable permanent mate, he was still hoping in the back of his mind that he might be found to be an acceptable temporary mate. It was not helping matters that his demon side was overjoyed at the care his brother was showing him by carrying him so far while his human side was pointing out that he had just been dropped on the ground.

"Little brother, I know you are not asleep, get up," came the hard voice of his big brother.

"Damn bastard, that's the second time you dumped me on the ground," Inuyasha muttered, rubbing the back of his head which had come into contact with a rock when he hit the ground.

"Stop complaining, we are here."

Standing, Inuyasha took in his surroundings. It looked like they were halfway up a mountain. From the smells and sights, he guessed they were in northernmost part of the western lands. He could see nothing of interest in the area. They were literally out in the middle of nowhere.

"Hell, Sesshoumaru, if you wanted to get me alone to kill me, we could have done this hours ago, back in the woods."

"Are you truly so blind you do not see it, little brother?" He could hear the slight sneer in his elder brother's voice. Knowing it was directed at him only made him more determined to find whatever it was his brother was insisting was there.

Inuyasha looked again, but this time he tried using his other senses, too. There was something on the rock face. He could not quite tell what it was, but it was definitely there. However, if his older brother had not been so adamant about its presence, he would have missed it.

"Where is 'here' anyway?" he asked.

"We are right outside the dwelling of the witch, Sturaki."

"Sturaki? Who's that?"

"She is a witch."

This was getting him nowhere. Was Sesshoumaru planning on answering all his questions with one-liners? "I know that, bastard. What I meant was, why are we here?"

"If you meant that, you should have asked that."

Inuyasha looked at him for a second. He was getting sick and tired of his every word being used to further his brother's amusement. 'If he's going to act like an ass, act like one back,' his human side told him. With that, he turned away from the dwelling and began to walk away, saying, "Whatever. If you don't want to tell me, I'll just go home now."

He had not gotten two steps away when he heard his elder brother speak. "She is a witch whom father brought me to see when I was younger. It was my intention to see if she could answer a rather pressing issue for the both of us. If you do not desire to know the answer, then leave."

Now that got his attention. After what Myouga had said about his brother and what he knew about possible mates, he wondered if this witch was the same one that had initially told him he only had one possible mate. That being the case, he definitely wanted to hear what this witch had to say. He needed to know if there was any hope for him at all or if he should just leave his brother alone now.

As such, he turned around and quickly walked toward the entrance, or at least where he perceived it to be. He could feel his brother following right behind him, most likely a little perplexed at his sudden change in decision.

Reaching the part of the rock face that was emitting the unusual aura, he put his hand up to it, mindful that Sesshoumaru was right behind him. When his hand passed through unhindered, he followed it inside.

The smell of the room was almost overwhelming. He figured it must be coming off all the pots that were lying around on the floor and immediately raised the sleeve of his haori up over his nose to block out some of the scent. With a quick glance at Sesshoumaru, he saw that the youkai was not covering his nose or even showing that he could smell anything.

As he stood there, trying to get accustomed to the smell, he heard his brother state, "Lady Sturaki, we are here to seek your wisdom."

Hearing someone clattering around in a room that was off of the one they were in, Inuyasha was surprised when a very short woman walked in. Her black hair flowed down her back as if moved by some unseen wind and she studied both of them closely with her liquid silver eyes. She looked almost human, but, if she were, there was no way Sesshoumaru could have known her when he was a child.

However, all thought went out of his head when he heard her first words, "Ah, yes, the Lords of the West. How may I be of assistance to you?"

- - - - -

Are you curious yet? Well, we finally got to Sturaki. Next chapter we find out what she has to say.

As always, thanks so much for reading and/or reviewing. They are both appreciated.


	29. Mates?

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki

- - - - -

Chapter 29: Mates?

As he carried his brother, he tried not to get lost in the scent. With every breath he inhaled, his youki was pushing him more and more to claim his baby brother as his mate. He knew intellectually that it was just the mating scent his baby brother was emitting at work, but it did not help any.

His youki still wanted his little brother. Holding him so close to him like this without claiming him was pure torture for Sesshoumaru. Over the years, he had mostly trained his youki to not look for a male as a mate through sheer determination of will, but now, with his baby brother smelling so much like a female, a female in heat, at that, he could barely restrain himself.

He was reasonably sure that his youki was only holding off because it was still under the impression that Inuyasha was in great need of sleep and the last thing his youki wanted was an unhealthy mate. As such, his youki was silently willing his brother to wake with one breath and sleep because he needed it and was safe with the next.

He glanced down at the smaller body nestled close to his and noted that he had changed position. Not sensing any difference in the change of heart rate or breathing, he assumed that his little brother was still asleep and wondered at how he was not even aware he was moving.

He supposed, on one level, that his brother's youki might also be looking upon him as an intended mate. That would explain the current situation that he found himself in. His younger brother's youki felt safe and protected in its intended mate's care and would not wake the boy as a result. He wondered if it would have been different had it not been mating season.

However, this brought up a rather troubling question, was his brother responding to him because he was destined to be his mate or was he merely responding to the strong youki? Following this line of reasoning, a rather disturbing idea occurred to him. What if his brother had not been interested in the kitsune because, in comparison, the kitsune's youki was weaker than his own?

It would be an unconscious decision to go with the potential mate that had a stronger youki after all. A stronger youki meant stronger pups. He had no idea why the possibility that his younger brother was only responding to him because of his stronger youki was bothering him so. He should be happy that that was all it was, yet he was not. It should not have even been an issue for Sesshoumaru, but it was teasing at the back of his brain, taunting him.

He wondered at what all this meant as he drew closer to Sturaki's dwelling. It was now late in the afternoon. When he reached the ledge that the entrance to Sturaki's dwelling was on, he stopped, contemplating the best way to awaken his sleeping brother.

He could not go into the dwelling with his younger brother still lying in his embrace, but his youki was still upset at the idea of waking his intended mate who was still in obvious need of rest. Sesshoumaru debated it with himself for a few more moments before finally becoming fed up and just dropping his brother on the ground none too gently.

He was fully expecting a flood of curses to come out at him for this act. When there was no immediate response from his brother, he began to get worried despite himself. His youki was furious. What if something had happened to his intended when he was dropped? Not only had he awoken his resting intended mate, he might have harmed him in addition to that. He nervously took a cursory sniff of the body on the ground, when nothing smelled wrong, he told him to get up.

Hearing the muttered cursing under his brother's breath, he almost smiled. It sounded like, not only was his brother all right, he was feeling a little more like his normal self again. That was a great relief to his concerned elder brother, not that he would ever admit to it aloud.

Glad that he would not have to put up with the silent personality that he had been forced to endure this morning, he decided to tease his brother. It was also a slight test on his part to see just how far along his younger brother was in training his senses.

He refused to admit to himself that he was already assessing what type of work would need to be done on his little brother to make him a suitable Lord of the Western Lands. He had been trying to find his future mate young for a reason. It was much easier to take a mostly undeveloped mind and teach it to operate in the ways he needed it to if the individual was going to be his mate. If his younger brother was indeed to be his mate, it might already be too late to change what needed to be changed in his personality and the way he did things.

As he already had an idea of how much work would need to be done in the personality department, he was trying to get a better idea of what type of work would be needed in refining his senses. Only a relative few had senses that were heightened enough to see through the spell that Lady Sturaki had cast over her dwelling to keep unwanted visitors away.

As a result, he was not overly surprised when his brother had not seen anything. However, willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, he taunted him into looking closer. He watched as his younger brother appeared to internalize his attention and focus on the landscape once again. After a moment, his baby brother stopped and abruptly focused in on him again.

Unsure if he had actually found it or not, Sesshoumaru tried to find out if he had by answering his brother's questions without giving too much away. Apparently, his brother was not in the mood to talk for he turned to depart partway through the conversation with his elder brother leaving him still unsure if he had sensed it or not.

Sucking up his pride for a moment, he told the retreating back why they were here. To his shock, his little brother turned right around and walked directly to the entrance, entering without missing a step. 'I guess that answers that question,' he thought.

Noticing that his younger brother had his sleeve over his nose, he almost smirked. That was apparently one thing they would have to work on. He could not go into diplomatic meetings covering his nose every time he did not like a smell. It was rude and rather 'common'.

Announcing them, he waited for the witch to emerge from her sleeping room. She looked the same as she had the last time he had seen him. She even greeted them in a similar manner, though he found it odd that she called them the 'Lords of the West'. Yes, he was the Lord of the West, but his little brother? Hardly, except maybe in the very strictest sense of the term.

What he had found more unusual than this was his baby brother's reaction. He looked as if he had seen a ghost and then, using the hand that had been covering his nose pointed to the witch accusingly. "It's you! You're that voice!"

He wondered if his brother had taken leave of his senses when he noticed that the witch was smiling. "Yes, I am that voice."

"But, but how?" he watched the look on his brother's face change from confusion to suspicion in an instant. "You cast a spell on me, didn't you?"

Lady Sturaki looked thoughtful. "I suppose you could call it that, although, this 'spell' was not meant to cause you any harm."

"Not meant to cause me harm? What the hell was it meant to do then!"

Sesshoumaru had no idea whatsoever what the two of them were talking about and it was starting to agitate him. He had learned from previous experience that not knowing things was a very dangerous proposition.

His youki was angry for an entirely different reason. It was becoming apparent that his intended was hiding things from him. That was one thing that was going to have to be corrected as soon as this business was finished. He could not have a mate withholding information from him, especially not information that was this potentially harmful.

As a combination of thoughts that he was perfectly within his rights to demand this information as the alpha mate and his natural unease at not knowing something, he demanded, "What are you talking about? What voice? What spell?"

"This has nothing to do with you, Sesshoumaru. It's between me and the hag."

Before he could respond, Lady Sturaki did. "You have not told him yet?"

"Why should I? If you wanted him to know so bad, why didn't you cast this 'spell' on him, too."

"The spell would not work on him. He is not open enough."

"And I am?" he could clearly hear the disbelief in his younger brother's voice and had to admit that he shared it. His baby brother was not exactly an 'open' individual.

"More than you know, little one," she said with a smile. "Have you not felt the flow of life through the forest your whole life? Did you not feel the upset with the appearance of Naraku? Can you not feel the currents of life even now, in these stone walls?"

"What are you going on about, old woman?"

Sesshoumaru saw her eyes turn sad as she asked, "Why does your soul ache, Inuyasha? Why does it cry out for all who can listen to hear?"

"Listen here, hag, I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about. Stop going in circles. Get to the point."

She sighed. "How did you find the entrance to my home, child?"

"I sensed the change in aura on the rock face," Inuyasha said in an 'I can't believe you're asking me such a dumb question' tone of voice.

While that information surprised Sesshoumaru for that was not the way he had found it at all, it did not seem to astonish the witch. She seemed to have been expecting an answer like that. "Where is the nearest stream?"

"What does that matter?"

"Please, just answer the question."

To his shock, Inuyasha paused a moment, picked a direction, pointed and stated a distance. He himself had had no idea where the closest stream was located, it was outside of his sensing range with all the other scents in this room. He was about to ask how his brother had found it, when the witch did instead.

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders in response. "It's there, isn't it?"

"That was not the question. The question was how YOU found it. I am still waiting for your answer."

He could see that his baby brother was getting bored rather quickly. "I just sense a stream in that direction, okay? Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Sesshoumaru could remain silent no longer, "You could not smell it from this distance."

"Feh. Of course not. I never said I SMELLED it, I said I SENSED it."

Now he was really confused and confusion was not a state the youkai lord liked finding himself in. "If you did not use scent, how did you 'sense' it, little brother?"

"I just did. What does it matter?"

He was about to continue his line of questioning, getting more and more frustrated with his intended mate, when Lady Sturaki interrupted. "It is no use asking him, Lord of the West. He does not know himself. He has just always been this way. He knows no other way to be."

"Excuse me, but I'm standing right here. What is it with people and talking about me like I'm not even there!"

"My apologies, little one. Your mate did not understand what you were trying to tell him."

His little brother and the witch continued to talk, but he was no longer paying attention. Lady Sturaki had just referred to him as Inuyasha's mate. She had done it so off-handedly that he had almost not even noticed.

He had traveled all this way, not even gotten a chance to ask his question, and she answered it without a moment's thought, just an aside comment, another way to refer to him. Sure his youki had been looking upon his baby brother as his intended for days now, but this was far more concrete than that. It was an external confirmation of an internal feeling that had been tickling his mind for the past couple of days.

He was not sure what shocked him more, the way she had just come out and said it like it was nothing, or the way this information had not even fazed his baby brother. It was almost as if Inuyasha had already known this. In fact, if his lack of reaction was any indication, his little brother had not only known it, but had also accepted it already.

This led him to wonder just how long his brother had known. Thinking back, he remembered how his brother had responded to Bokusenou's information. He had immediately gotten into an argument with the tree demon over whether or not he should tell his intended who he was. Then, there was the incident in the tree with his son. He had said he was his then, however Sesshoumaru had mostly written it off to not wanting him to harm his kitsune.

He wondered if it had just started recently when he remembered back to the very first time his baby brother had met him. He had come to him, not the other way around. The toddler had known where he was, even though he was back a ways in the woods.

At the time he had been fairly impressed. He had watched his very young brother stop playing with his ball and sniff the air. Then, he had come right in his direction. Not many children so young could have followed his scent trail so far. But, now he wondered, did his brother smell him, or did he 'sense' him?

And then there was the issue of what he had done when he had first seen him. Thinking back on the entire incident, he realized that, at no time did the toddler show any fear of him. Even when he had been choking him almost to death, he had not gotten afraid.

He also remembered what his baby brother had said as an explanation for why he had run up and hugged him. He had said he 'smelled good and looked nice'. At the time, he had been appalled; this shame on his family's name was attempting to pay HIM compliments? He had thought that perhaps he was trying to gain favor in some way so that the elder youkai would not be tempted to kill him.

But now, he was wondering if his younger brother had known all the way back then. Was it possible that Inuyasha had always known that he was supposed to mate with his brother one day? However, if that was the case, why had he never told him? This was surely something the pup would have thought necessary to ask about.

He supposed there was always the possibility that his younger brother had never figured out what it meant. After all, hadn't he, himself, admitted to not being aware of why he had always known where his baby brother was? He wondered if this connection was something he had just not been aware of.

He drew his attention away from that and thought about what she had been asking Inuyasha. What had she been saying? His baby brother's soul was aching? Why? For some reason this suddenly seemed to be a very important question. He would not have concerned himself with it in the past, but he just could not seem to let it go, and so, he asked, "Why did you say my little brother's soul ached?"

All other talk in the room stopped. They both looked at him, the look on his brother's face making it obvious that he had forgotten he was in the room. However, the witch showed no signs of answering the question. "I asked you a question, Lady Sturaki."

"Why are you asking me? Perhaps you should ask your mate instead."

"I have yet to determine who my mate will be. Do not presume to be able to tell me something of that importance," deciding to ignore for the moment that that was, in fact, what he had come here to ask her.

"See? I told you," he heard his brother say, only to have him shushed by the witch.

"You are not being open, Lord Sesshoumaru. Despite the many warnings to the contrary, you are still as closed off as you were when we first met. Open your mind and heart. Allow yourself to feel the truth and you will know it."

"This has nothing to do with me. The question dealt with my little brother, not myself."

Sturaki looked away from him and towards Inuyasha. "I think you should answer his questions, child."

Sesshoumaru watched his brother glance from him to the witch and back again. He then heard, "Why should I tell him? He doesn't want to know. He's not going to listen anyway. He doesn't care."

Sesshoumaru felt a growl rise up at these words. Stepping towards his little brother, he said, "This is not the first time you have accused me of such today, little brother. I demand you explain why you presume to tell me what I think or care about."

He saw fire flash in the golden orbs of his baby brother. "I may not know what you care about, but I definitely know what you don't."

This conversation was enraging his youki. 'How dare his intended mate say these things?' it raged. "Do not presume to tell me what I feel."

"That's just it. You don't care. You don't care about me, you don't care about you, you don't care about anything!"

He was still looking at his brother when he heard the witch interrupt. "Inuyasha, you know that's not true. Remember, I asked you to look after your mate? He does care about things."

"Yeah, well, he sure has a weird way of showing it."

She laughed lightly, "And you do not?"

He watched in amazement as his younger brother said, "Feh," and lowered his head, a blush gracing his cheeks. He wondered who this witch was to his brother that she acted so familiar with him. What was it with his brother and women in possession of mystical powers? First those two priestesses of his and now this?

Something about his baby brother obviously attracted them to him. Maybe it was that whole 'sensing' thing they had been discussing before. Was it some type of 'mystical power' in its own right?

Putting that aside, he brought his attention back to the current conversation. "Be that as it may, I am still waiting for an answer to my initial question. Why does your soul ache, younger brother?"

He waited patiently for an answer. When it became apparent that his little brother had no intention of answering him, he began to consider other ways to get a response out of him. However, just as he was about to implement some of these other methods, the witch answered.

"His soul aches because it is incomplete."

"What do you mean, incomplete?"

"Only half of his soul resides in his body. The other half is elsewhere. It has always been so."

"Where is the other half of his soul located?" he found himself asking with some concern. How could his brother have lived so long without half his soul? It did not make any sense to him. He should have been dead by now.

"Why are you acting like you care! Stop pretending! Stop making me think that you might actually care for me!" Inuyasha yelled at him, breaking him out of train of thought.

His youki had no idea where his intended mate had gotten the idea that he did not care for him from. As such, it also had no idea why he was so angry. Without thinking, Sesshoumaru responded, "I am not pretending, little brother. I do, in fact, care for you."

- - - - -

Next chapter, Inuyasha.

A/N: In regards to Inuyasha 'sensing' things: My argument behind this comes from a number of things we see in the anime (I don't own all the magna, so I'm not as sure about that). In the first episode, Inuyasha comes back before Kagome pulls out the arrow. He did not respond to any other sounds in the forest previously, so he must have 'sensed' her specifically. In the first movie, he was able to talk to Kagome through the god-tree. He could 'sense' her presence there even though she was in her own time. Again, when he first learned how to use the wind scar, it was because he was blinded by Sesshoumaru's poison. The entire time, he had been told that he needed to 'see' the wind scar, but it was not until after he could no longer look for it that he found it. On top of that, he 'sensed' the backlash wave without even knowing that it was supposed to exist. I know there are more examples, but I think that is enough to at least open the door for the possibility. There is also the fact that he would not see it as anything unusual. It would be like someone being shocked that you could taste bananas. It would have never occurred to you that it was something you should not have been able to do so you would not have seen it as anything special. In fact, you would most likely be surprised that they couldn't do it as well. Well, that's the end of that rant. Sorry for overwhelming you with info.

As always, thanks so much for reading and/or reviewing.


	30. An Explanation of Sorts

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki

- - - - -

Chapter 30: An Explanation of Sorts

Inuyasha had immediately recognized the voice of the witch as the same voice that he had been hearing in his dreams. It had shocked him to come upon her in real life, but it did prove that he was not going entirely crazy.

In his mind, he had been understandably upset about the spell that she had cast on him. Coming and going in his mind freely was not something he felt comfortable with allowing a stranger to do. Hell, he didn't feel comfortable with allowing anyone to do that, stranger or not.

And then, she told him he was more open than his elder brother. Actually, that was one thing he was pretty sure was true in what she had said. His brother did tend to be rather closed-minded when it came to things he did not like. Him being a hanyou was the first thing to jump to mind. But these other things she was talking about, it just didn't make any sense to him.

Then she brought up his soul. She had no right to bring that up. Not with Sesshoumaru standing right there. She had no right to talk so casually about the incompleteness in his soul. The hole he had lived with in his very being for his entire life. None at all. And now, his elder brother knew about it because she could not keep her mouth shut. So, instead of answering her question, he lashed out at her.

He had expected her to get upset at him, but she only asked him more questions. He noticed that his elder brother did not seem to know what to make of his answers, but kept his attention on the witch. She was the one who needed to be watched. She was the one who knew entirely too much about him and the way his mind worked. He wondered what else she had seen while she had been haunting his dreams.

In answer to his brother's questions about how he managed to sense things, she said, "It is no use asking him, Lord of the West. He does not know himself. He has just always been this way. He knows no other way to be."

That just pissed him off even more. What was he, invisible? That was the second time in two days that the people around him had purposely ignored him. "Excuse me, but I'm standing right here. What is it with people and talking about me like I'm not even there!"

In what he felt was a rather condescending tone, she looked to him and said, "My apologies, little one. Your mate did not understand what you were trying to tell him."

She had already known that his brother was his mate. It came as no surprise to him when she called him such. He idly wondered why she had not told his brother who his mate was the last time she talked to him. Then again, Sesshoumaru had said it was a long time ago. Maybe it was before he was even born. Maybe she had not known who he was at the time.

Continuing the conversation as if nothing had happened, he said, "I am getting sick and tired of people talking about me like I'm not there. Besides, it's none of his business, anyway."

"I beg to differ, child. It is necessary for him to understand how his mate views things."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"It is the only way you can truly work together. He has the more earthly skills in abundance where you have the more other-worldly skills at your disposal."

"Sorry to disappoint you, witch, but you seem to be under the impression that the two of us are going to work together. Trust me, it ain't gonna happen. Last time we tried that, the world almost came to an end because of it."

"Little one, do you remember what I told you the first time we met? You need to choose your path. More than that, you need to choose the correct one. Which path is the right one?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?"

"Tell me, child, what have you been feeling lately? You have been feeling uneasy, correct?"

"Well, yeah, but that's just all this mating season business that's going on."

"Not exactly. There is a new presence that has come to our plane. It is disturbing the balance in the world. Beings that should not have been destroyed are being destroyed. Life that should still go on has been being abruptly stopped.

"It is in this that you are feeling the uneasiness, not because of mating season. Your spirit already knows your mate, you have no need to worry on that count. Your worry is for this presence that is disrupting the balance you are used to feeling."

Inuyasha looked at her like she had lost her mind. "What in all the seven hells are you going on about, you crazy old hag?"

"You'll see soon enough."

"Feh. Yeah, sure. Whatever you say," he said, rolling his eyes. This witch was one insane old bat, that was for sure. However, she also seemed to have some knowledge, and, hell, it's not like he hadn't already asked every other older-than-dirt demon he knew. He decided this was a good opportunity to get her opinion on the matter and asked, "Hey, witch, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you may, child. What would you like to know?"

"What do you know about this being able to bear pups business?"

"I know it is a very difficult and dangerous task you have taken upon yourself so that you might have your intended mate."

"Why does everyone think I'm doing this for him! I'll have you know, it's not for him!"

"I know that. It is for you. It has taken this long for your body to realize that the only way it can have its mate is to have the ability to bear pups. It was actually a rather selfish thing for you to do when you think about it."

"Of course it wa… Wait a minute! Why is it selfish of me?"

"You found the one thing that your mate was looking for in a mate and exploited it. You knew he would only mate with you if you could bear pups, so you made it so that you could. That was rather manipulative of you."

"It wasn't a conscious decision!"

"Be that as it may, you still decided without asking him first."

Inuyasha fumed silently while she stood there and watched. Why would he have asked his brother first? The very idea was ludicrous. He had not even been completely aware that his brother was his intended mate until just recently.

"Was that all you wanted to know, child?"

Putting aside his anger, he said, "Actually, I do have one more thing I want to ask you."

"Yes?"

"What is it with the rabbits? I know you know."

He could hear the amusement in her voice as she said, "I thought you already asked me that."

"I may have asked, but you didn't answer."

"Very true. Alright then. How's this for an answer: Your body has been drawing on the power of your youki to facilitate this change in your body. There are essentially two ways to regain youki levels, one is through sleep and the other is through eating something, in your case, raw rabbits."

"But why rabbits?"

"Why not? It stands to reason, after all, they aren't a symbol of fertility for nothing."

Inuyasha gave her an odd look. He supposed that made sense in a rather… odd way. But that still didn't explain everything. "But what about when it came on after Kagome 'sat' me or when Sesshoumaru used his claws and why haven't I felt it lately while I've been in Sesshoumaru's presence?"

"Well, I can explain the claws at least. It was your body putting a greater effort into completing the change because your intended mate was there right then. Over the years, you have gotten your youki used to not being around its mate most of the time. As such, when you found yourself in his presence, it made a great effort to speed up the transformation so he would not leave before accepting you as his mate.

"And I believe that you have not been feeling hungry for rabbits while in your brother's presence now because his youki is unconsciously supporting yours. Most likely since the second time you came across him, his youki has been feeding its energy into yours as you stand next to him so that your own youki doesn't get too low.

"That only leaves the question of the spell that priestess has on you. Hmm. Come here, little one, I need to see those beads closer."

Too intrigued by her words to question it, Inuyasha found himself stepping forward and crouching down so she could easily reach the beads. He watched with a patience that he generally did not have as she carefully inspected them. Finally, she released them and he stood back up.

"Ah, yes, I see now."

"See what, witch?"

"Those beads are tied to your youki. Every time the incantation is said, power is drawn from your youki and used to pull you to the ground."

"But what about when I'm human? There's no youki for it pull from then."

"Just because you are human does not mean you are without a youki. It is still there in your blood; it is just hidden and locked away. Now, if you were purified, that would be another matter entirely."

"Are you saying that if I were to be purified I could just take it off?" Inuyasha asked with growing interest. Getting purified one time so he could take off that damn necklace sounded like a very good idea to him.

"Well, I'm…" she began but was interrupted by his elder brother.

Instead of hearing if he was correct in his assumptions about the necklace and being purified, he got to get into another conversation about his soul. And even then, after everything that had happened, his elder brother still refused to admit he was his mate. It made Inuyasha want to curl up into a ball and die, but he didn't.

If there was one thing he had learned in his life, it was to never give up. There was always the possibility that things would turn back around and go your way. He had seen it happen in battle before and now, in what was possibly the most important battle in his entire life, he was not willing to go down without a fight. He decided then and there that, no matter what his elder brother did, he would not allow him the satisfaction of breaking him.

He was listening to his brother babble on and he could not help it, he just exploded at him for pretending to care about him and then, to his utter disbelief, his elder brother said he cared about him.

Inuyasha looked at him in shock. Had his elder brother said what he thought he had said? "You care for me?" he asked in disbelief.

He watched his brother sigh. "I suppose so, at least on some level."

"But, if you care for me, why have you been trying to kill me?"

"You are a half-demon, a stain on father's name. It is my duty to kill you. You know this."

He felt the words cut through him like a knife. He knew they were true. He had seen them in action before. How could he possibly believe that his older brother could care for him when he saw him that way?

"Lord Sesshoumaru! How dare you! If it were not for that fact that it would hurt your little brother as well, I would cease helping you at once!" Sturaki raved, her eyes flashing.

Inuyasha shook his head, this was not the way to get through to his elder brother. "Just leave him alone, old hag. He's right, you know? Besides I'm used to it."

The witch's gaze softened as she turned it towards the hanyou. "No one should have to be used to that, especially not from their mate."

He shook his head at her stupidity. "Haven't you figured it out yet? He doesn't want me for a mate! It doesn't matter what you or I or anyone else has to say on the matter. He has already decided I am not fit to be his mate and that decision is final. You're not going to be able to change his mind."

"Who are you to tell me who I want or do not want as a mate, little brother?" Sesshoumaru challenged.

Sick and tired of this going around in circles, he growled out, "Fine. Have it your way. Who do you want for a mate?" When there was no immediate response, he humphed. "You don't even know, do you? How the hell were you planning on finding a mate if you reject every possibility out of hand? Even I know better than that."

"There have never been any that are suitable for one such as I," he stated, regally as ever.

"Do you even listen to yourself?" the younger brother demanded. "What exactly would a potential mate have to do to be suitable for you? Do you even know?"

"I will not be questioned on such a matter."

"Figures. You have no idea and don't want me to find out you have no idea. Let me guess, you're expecting the right one to just POP out at you with no question right?" When no response came he continued, "No matter how much your youki tries to find your mate, if you don't let it do its job, it'll never find it."

"Well said, child. I told you you had the gift."

Inuyasha startled. He had been so wrapped up in giving his brother a good talking to, he had completely forgotten the witch was still there. "What gift? I was just telling him something he would already know if his head wasn't so far up his ass."

"You are wrong, little brother."

"What am I wrong about? That your head is stuck up your ass?"

That was met with a glare from his elder brother who apparently chose to ignore the insult otherwise. "You are wrong in your assumption that I do not know what I want in a mate."

"You mean to tell me you actually know what you are looking for?"

"I have had many centuries to consider this."

Now he was interested. What would his older brother consider worthy of being his mate? When he showed no signs of continuing, Inuyasha prompted him. "Well, what are you looking for?"

"Why should I tell you, half-breed?"

In favor of having his curiosity assuaged, Inuyasha ignored the 'half-breed' comment. "Come on, Sesshoumaru. Just tell me. It won't go any further than this room, I promise."

Sesshoumaru considered him for a moment and he forced his face to remain perfectly serious. He did not want his elder brother to decide he was untrustworthy because he could not contain his interest.

"Very well. I am looking for a demoness that is strong enough to compliment my power. She must be a higher level demoness and able to bear me strong pups. She will have been trained in proper decorum for every situation that might arise as the Lady of the Western Lands. She will not simper at my feet nor will she question my words. She will always remember her place and not try to go against me in anything. She will understand fully that my word on the matter is final."

"Damn. And here I thought you were going to be a picky bastard," he said, hiding his own thoughts on the matter behind the sarcasm. Listening to his brother's description of the mate he was looking for, Inuyasha was feeling more and more like he didn't stand a chance. All he had going for him was his strength and ability to bear pups.

Meanwhile, the witch appeared to be having a hard time holding in her laughter. "I have to agree with your little brother, Lord Sesshoumaru. You are never going to find a demoness like that. If she is strong enough to compliment you, she will definitely question you."

"No mate of mine will do that."

Sturaki shook her head and sighed. "Lord of the West, I told you the last time we met that you had a mate, a mate that had more or less been made just for you. You have enough servants and such to do your bidding as you desire. Your mate should not be subservient to you, your mate should compliment you.

"Where you are weak, your mate should show strength and where your mate is weak, you should be able to assist. Anything less is not only an insult to your mate, but to you as well."

He watched Sesshoumaru contemplate the witch for a moment. "I take it you know what traits my mate should possess?"

"I have a few ideas."

"Let us hear these 'ideas' Lady Sturaki."

Inuyasha could have sworn he saw the witch give him a little wink before she began to respond to his brother's request. However, it happened too fast for him to be entirely sure it was even there. He then listened as she proceeded to rattle off a list of traits of which only a few seemed to fit him at all.

He knew his own jaw dropped as she continued on. Hell, he had thought his elder brother was picky. Apparently that was nothing. Then again, he supposed that for someone who could see into the future, she probably noticed more than either of them did.

Despite this, he was beginning to get upset. Hadn't she said that HE was his brother's mate? If that was the case, why was she listing off all these traits that he couldn't possibly hope to have? Was she against him, too? Feeling unwanted once again, he plopped down on the floor next to the table. He obviously wasn't needed for this conversation, after all.

- - - - -

Well, there was your rabbit explanation. Hope you weren't too let down by it. I've only had it in my head since Chapter 7. I just couldn't find a place to put it in without it sounding forced.

As an aside, all you fine people here on fanfiction(dot)net have finally caught up with me on chapters. That means, I won't be updating every day now. I have been averaging between two to four days between chapters coming out. Just prior warning.

As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing.


	31. The Four Levels of Claiming

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki

A/N: In regards to the claiming levels: I realize that there are parts of different types of mating rituals from different fics included. I have never read one that was used quite this way, but seeing as I have read well over 100 fics that have dealt with mating, I am not entirely sure which ideas I might have borrowed from someone else. As such, I am sorry if I have offended anyone. It was not my intention. If I have taken one of your original ideas, please inform me and I will either give you credit for it or replace it with something else if it really bothers you. Thank you.

- - - - -

Chapter 31: The Four Levels of Claiming

Sesshoumaru could not believe that he had admitted to caring for his baby brother. It was not that he had no feelings whatsoever for the boy, but to say it aloud, in front of a witness no less. His youki was making him crazy. That had to be it.

Then, his little brother was not even willing to let the matter go. He had known that saying anything even approaching something caring towards his brother would be read into entirely too much. As a result, he had been forced into restating what he and Inuyasha already knew to be true about their respective situations in regards to him trying to kill his brother and that witch had the gall to get angry at him!

It was his right, his duty, to kill his younger brother. As he had told the boy so many years ago, his life was his. He was only alive because Sesshoumaru did not truly desire his death as of yet. As soon as the youkai changed his mind, that would no longer be the case. This witch had no right to question him.

He was just about to give her a piece of his mind when, to his shock, his younger brother jumped in and agreed with him. He had been sure that Inuyasha would have taken the witch's side. Since when had he agreed with the reasons why it was Sesshoumaru's duty to kill him? Sesshoumaru had always thought his younger brother did not truly understand. Maybe he had underestimated him.

And then the conversation had returned to that damnable mate issue. Apparently, not only did the witch believe that she had the right to dictate who his mate would be to him, but his little brother believed it to be his right as well.

This angered his youki greatly. Although, he was unsure if it was more angered that his younger brother was trying to tell it who he should mate with or that he was insisting he was not in the running. To top it off, his younger brother taunted him with the accusation that he did not know what he wanted in a mate.

He felt he had been justifiably upset, but, when he had shown his outrage, all it made Inuyasha do was ask more pointed questions. He really hated that boy sometimes. In an effort to once again get the upper hand, he had given his brother the abbreviated list of what he was looking for in a mate only to be scoffed at by not only his baby brother, but that damnable witch as well.

Sesshoumaru really thought they were being unfair. He had given it a lot of thought over the years and believed he had come up with a list of traits that it would be necessary for his mate to possess. True, he had purposefully talked about a female mate despite his youki's wishes, but that was only because he knew it would irk his younger brother and the witch. He had also listed off the traits on his list that he knew applied the least to his younger brother, resolutely skipping over ones that he seemed to fit perfectly, but he wasn't going to admit to that either.

However, the witch seemed to have no compunction with giving her entire list of what she thought he should have in a mate, not just the abbreviated version. He listened to the assortment of traits with slight skepticism. He could not believe some of the things she seemed to think he would want in a mate.

Of what possible use could one who understood emotions be to him? Or one who knew how to deal with humans? He saw no point in one that would help those who could not help themselves. Or one who would offer mercy to those who would ask. Why would he want one that would stay a killing blow or protect those that had hurt this one? One who gave forgiveness without it having to be asked was not something he wanted at all; it would make his entire kingdom look weak. As would one who showed compassion.

Obviously, Lady Sturaki was quite insane. Despite that obvious flaw, she actually did mention things that he found to be exactly what he wanted. He could see the use in having one that was strong. One that was fearless. One that was incredibly intelligent. Those were all traits he had always wanted, no, believed he deserved to have, in his mate as the Lord of the Western Lands.

Halfway through her list, he noticed his little brother sat down. No, not sat down, for that implied some grace in the movement, his brother had just allowed his knees to give out and fell to the ground. He struggled against rolling his eyes. He agreed with his younger brother's sentiments entirely. This was an utter waste of time.

However, instead of joining his baby brother in a rather undignified show of disapproval for the way the conversation was shaping up, he waited patiently for her to finish talking. He had been through much more boring meetings in the past. Making a mental note to teach his baby brother how to not make his boredom so obvious, he spent his time contemplating the possibility of making Inuyasha his.

It was perfectly within his rights to claim his baby brother. It always had been. He was the Lord of the Western Lands after all, and no one would dare to go against him. Not even that little idiot half-breed brother of his. The only question was, how far along in the claiming was he willing to go?

Among demon mates there were essentially four levels of claiming, one following the next. Most demon mates never went past the second level, but a very few of the higher level demons went through, or attempted to go through, all four levels and completed the claiming in its entirety.

Sesshoumaru was willing to go through the first level with his brother. It was a simple scent claim. In actuality, if he spent much more time with his younger brother, the scent claim would already be there without him having to even think about it. For, while the scent claim was the initial claim in mating rituals, it was hardly contained to just one individual.

When an individual joined a certain pack, there was a scent claim put on them by the leader of said pack. It was to afford some protection to the individual in the pack even if the leader was not present. Generally speaking, just knowing the identity of your pack leader was enough to scare off many demons, this, of course, all depended on the reputation of the one who had made the scent claim.

Everyone knew that Jaken and Rin were under his protection because of this scent claim. The same as everyone knew that Inuyasha's little quasi-pack was under his protection due to his own scent claim. Demons understood that if they messed with an individual who had a scent claim on them, they risked the wrath of the one who had placed the scent claim.

As such, if he put a scent claim on his baby brother, it would be understood that he was under the protection of Sesshoumaru. Only one who wanted to take on the youkai lord himself would dare to even touch his little brother after that. It would offer him a significant level of protection while he was in this weakened state, and a scent claim was also one of the easiest to abolish. As such, Sesshoumaru decided that after they left, he would, indeed, put a scent claim on his brother.

The next level, however, was a much stickier situation. The second level of claiming, the physical claim, was the one that mating season was designed specifically to initiate. While it was technically called the physical claim in any demonic text Sesshoumaru had ever had to study on the subject, it was much more commonly known as mating.

The physical claim primarily involved having sexual relations with a certain individual and then claiming him or her with your mark. It was a much more significant level than the scent claim in that it was done exclusively between mates. In higher level demons, there was only a physical claim on one individual at a time. If the demon desired to move on to another demoness, he had to first remove the physical claim before he could do so.

However, unlike the scent claim that was relatively easy to undo, the physical claim was almost impossible to undo without both parties' consent. It was a long and drawn out process that generally left one party dead which is why he had not wanted to go through with a physical claiming when his father had suggested it all those years ago.

Sesshoumaru had always assumed that, when he found his mate, they would complete the second level of claiming and just stop there. Many demons did that, not wanting the responsibilities or risks that went along with the higher two claiming rituals. He would not be seen as at all unusual in doing so. In fact, he would have been surprised had anyone ever expected him to fully complete the claiming with another individual.

As such, he knew that anyone he performed the physical claim on would be viewed as if the individual had been fully claimed. Although, the longer he was around his baby brother, the less it was looking like he was going to have much choice in the matter. But he'd be damned if he was going to do the physical claim in the middle of the forest like some base animal. He had much more finesse than that.

The third and fourth claims, nevertheless, were entirely out of the question. His own father had never performed either one of those claims on his mother. On the other hand, he had the sneaking suspicion that he had performed the third one on Inuyasha's mother. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to tell if the third or fourth claims had actually been made for there was no outward sign.

Instead of an outward indication, you had to know both the mates very well to find out if they had completed the third and fourth claims. As such, there was much question about many of the mates as to how far in the claiming process they actually were. The third claim was the emotional one and the fourth claim was the spiritual one.

The emotional claim was interesting in that it allowed one mate to literally feel what the other was feeling. Through a special exchange of blood, the mates were joined even more fully than in the second level. There were also rumors that it allowed one mate to always know the other's location and instinctively know when the one needed the other.

The spiritual claim, on the other hand, was the only one that could not be done by the mates themselves. They had to seek out an outside source of mystical power to perform the ritual necessary for the spiritual claim. As the fourth claim, it was at once the most powerful and the most dangerous claim in existence. Through a spell, the two beings were bound together.

Their lifespans became the same. If one died, the other died without question. The spiritual claim made it impossible for one to live without the other. However, it also ensured that one mate would not die of natural causes before the other. If they were not killed outright, it could essentially become a way to live forever.

In addition, their auras combined. Instead of two, individual, weaker auras, they became one, strong aura that surrounded both. The scents became almost identical and it became incredibly difficult to tell one from the other if you could not see the person in question.

But, for all these obvious gains, there was one overwhelming drawback. Death. The probability for death to both parties for attempting this last claim was enough to make most demons think twice. To Sesshoumaru's knowledge, there were only a handful of mates out there that had successfully completed the fourth claiming since its first inception.

He had heard of many others who, influenced by the desire for power or relative immortality, had attempted the ritual only to have both die. There were entirely too many variables and, no matter how well the match appeared to be, until the attempt was actually made to complete the fourth claim, there was no surety that it would work.

Because the third and fourth claims were so rare, there was not nearly as much known about them as there was about the first two claims. For many of these reasons, Sesshoumaru had never had any intention of performing them with anyone, let alone his younger brother.

That being said, he idly wondered if his little brother was aware of the levels of claiming. In the past, he would have merely assumed that the boy knew, but, from what he had seen with the instinctual biting, that might not actually be the case. He wondered what that cowardly flea of his father's had told Inuyasha, if anything about his demonic heritage. What was the point of having a full-demon retainer if he did not explain demonic rituals to his charge?

Then again, he was unsure if the flea actually expected the boy to live to be of proper mating age. Or for anyone to want to be his mate, for that matter. He knew that the flea was not yet mated himself, so it was possible that he did not see Inuyasha getting mated as being a possibility.

If such were the case, he wouldn't have to worry about his younger brother asking about the other levels of claiming, he would assume that Sesshoumaru knew exactly how the mating worked and would follow his lead without question. Something about the idea of having his little brother at his complete mercy was very appealing to the youkai.

His thoughts stopped abruptly when he realized that the room was now silent. Lady Sturaki had apparently finished her list of requirements for his mate and it appeared that his younger brother had fallen asleep once again, this time on the floor.

Looking to the witch, he asked, "Why does he keep doing that?"

She looked at him, puzzled for a moment. "Why does he keep doing what? Sleep so much?"

At the inclination of his head, she continued. "He is replenishing his youki. If it gets too low, he will die. As for why he is doing it now, he can sense the comforting presence of your aura and feels safe beside his intended mate. He sleeps soundly, knowing you will protect him."

"Whatever gave him such a foolish idea?" Sesshoumaru did not care if he was feeling protective of the pup, previous experience should have taught his younger brother not to trust him.

She gave him a chiding look, "You are his mate. Of course you'll protect him."

"I have agreed to no such thing."

He saw her eyes flash red for an instant. "Lord Sesshoumaru, whether you admit to it or not, you already see him as your mate. Your youki has been supporting his this entire time. You carried him here. It is taking all of your willpower to not claim him at this very moment. The only thing that continuing to deny it will do is hurt your intended mate."

Sesshoumaru glared at her, how dare she think to tell him such things? She continued, "Do you even understand the magnitude of what he is undertaking? He could very well die attempting to complete this task. He is doing everything in his power to give you what you want in a mate and all you do is tell him that he is not worthy.

"You do not deserve such a mate. If it were up to me, you would not have him as your mate. I would not allow it. Sadly, it is not my decision. It is his and he has already made it." She sighed, "I wish you luck with the claiming. I am sure that Inuyasha will perform magnificently. When you are ready for the fourth level of claiming, I shall perform the ceremony for you." With that, she turned to leave.

Before she had reached the entrance to her back room, Sesshoumaru interrupted her, "We shall not be returning for the fourth level of claiming."

"Oh? I would really recommend it. The fourth level is already dangerous enough without having an inexperienced person do it. May I ask who you had in mind if not me?"

"You misunderstand, Lady Sturaki. We will not be completing the fourth level of claiming."

"So you say, Lord of the West. So you say," with that, she disappeared from his sight.

Watching the flap that covered the opening for a moment, he shook his head. He did not have time to deal with her right now. Turning his attention back to his sleeping intended mate, he was once again facing the choice of waking him or carrying him.

Deciding it would be better all around if he did not have to listen to his brother's mouth right now, he once again lifted him, this time heading back for the western castle. It was high time he brought his wayward brother home.

- - - - -

A/N: In regards to Sturaki's description of Sesshoumaru's mate: She was, in fact, talking about Inuyasha. If any of the comments made do not seem to fit to you, feel free to ask and I'll give you my reasoning behind it. I would give the reasoning for all them, but that would most likely make the author's note longer than the story and I know you're not here to read the author's note. As far as why Inuyasha thought they were not talking about him, Sturaki was only listing what she saw as his good traits. I'm not sure if you have noticed, but while everyone is rather quick to point out Inuyasha's bad traits, they don't really point out his good traits. Even on the few occasions that Kagome has thanked him for doing something, he doesn't really accept it as praise. He is so unused to hearing anything positive about himself that he just doesn't know what to do with the compliment. As a result, he thought the positive traits that were being listed did not apply to him but to someone else.

As always, thank you for reading and/or reviewing.


	32. At Sesshoumaru's Castle

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki

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Chapter 32: At Sesshoumaru's Castle

He realized that mating season must have started when he was sleeping. It was very hard for him to think straight at the moment. Especially since he was surrounded by his older brother's scent. Not only that, but the floor had gotten a lot softer than he remembered. Considering this for a time, he realized that he was no longer lying on the floor of Sturaki's home.

He seemed to be lying on a futon now and that, coupled with his brother's scent overwhelming his senses, brought him to one conclusion. His brother had once again carried him while he was sleeping. And, judging by the smells, he was most likely in Sesshoumaru's castle.

Wondering why his elder brother had not just returned him to Kaede's dwelling, Inuyasha opened his eyes. Looking around, he took in the furs lying off to the side of the futon, undoubtedly for when it was colder out. There were a couple of windows to one side of the room and a short table on the opposite wall.

Unlike many of the dwellings he had been in, the futon was located in one corner instead of the center of the room. He understood that this was the most defensible place to have the futon located, he himself often slept in corners for just such a reason, but he wondered at why his brother would have felt he needed to do so as well.

Inuyasha berated himself for having fallen asleep again while he was at Sturaki's home. This really had to stop. He could not just keep falling asleep at the drop of a hat. He didn't care if his youki insisted he was safe in his brother's presence. As far as he was concerned, that just went to show how stupid his youki was.

On the other hand, it was not like he was really in any shape to put up much of a fight about it either way. If his elder brother wanted to kill him at the moment, he knew that he was as good as dead. He could bluster all he wanted to, but he could feel himself getting weaker.

He hated this weakness with a vengeance. It left him completely vulnerable to the manipulations of his brother. Remembering something Myouga had said in the past about females becoming more docile when they went into heat during mating season, he wondered if that was what was happening to him.

If that was the case, he knew he would not only be feeling weaker, he would also be feeling much more subservient to Sesshoumaru. In that his brother was his chosen mate, this heat would tell his instincts to submit to him. The weakness and open submission were there to entice the male to mate with the female.

On the plus side, he knew that once the mating had taken place and been formalized, it was not nearly as difficult to fight the desire to submit. The only chance he had at the moment to get out of this mating would be to leave his brother's presence immediately. Even that was not a sure thing if his brother suddenly decided he did want him for a mate.

It was then that he noticed something he had not before. His elder brother's scent was not just in this house, it was on him as well. In his slightly muddled mind, he had not even realized that he had been scent claimed until just now. On a normal day, he would have been appalled that it had taken so long, but today he was just glad that he recognized it before he had attempted to leave.

Had he tried to leave without taking it into account, he knew that it would have alerted his elder brother to his every move. It was how he kept track of his own group, after all. It was much easier to find someone bearing your scent claim than it was to find someone without it. It was one of the reasons that the scent claim was such a popular practice.

But it made him wonder why his brother had done it. By laying a scent claim, one took responsibility for the individual who was claimed. From that point on, until death or the scent claim was removed, it was the duty of the marker to protect the marked. At present, if anyone attempted to harm Inuyasha, it would be the same as if they had attempted to harm Sesshoumaru himself.

The mere laying of the claim in the first place displayed a type of caring that he never would have expected from his elder brother. Although it was a common practice to use scent claims, they were never taken lightly. The marker was required to take on full, conscious responsibility for the marked's safety. The thought of his elder brother doing such a thing for him would have been ludicrous had he not seen it himself.

There was one other possibility for the scent claim, however. He knew it was the first step in the mating ritual. Why his elder brother would wish to begin the mating ritual with someone he did not care about, however, was something Inuyasha was not so sure he understood.

He knew that his older brother had no mate as of yet. Therefore, he also had no heir. He supposed it might be a good idea for the youkai lord to make him his mate for the sole purpose of bearing him an heir to the throne so to speak. But, if that was the case, surely he could have found another demoness to do so long ago.

As these confusing thoughts swirled in his head, he wondered if Sturaki had told Sesshoumaru something after he had gone to sleep that would make this apparent change of mind make more sense. After all, his elder brother was only supposed to have one mate. If his mate was his brother, it would stand to reason that his brother's mate was him.

He idly wondered if his brother would put aside the distaste he had for him personally to do his duty in securing the mate he had been preordained to have. Somehow, it wouldn't really surprise him if he did, but what kind of life would that leave for his mate?

Pushing these thoughts aside, he sat up, placing the silken sheet that had been lying over him to the side. On the wall to the right of him, he saw the sliding opening that would signify the entrance way, but it was closed at the moment. Wondering what his elder brother had been thinking when he had brought him here, Inuyasha stood and walked to the entrance.

Sliding the panel to the side, he looked up and down the hallway. He didn't see anyone, but he could hear faint voices in the distance and, with nothing better to do, he made his way towards the sound, passing down empty hallways.

He could smell a multitude of scents permeating the air in addition to his brother's scent. This made sense, in that there were undoubtedly servants roaming around somewhere if he was correct in assuming this was his older brother's castle.

He heard giggling just up ahead, and as he came to a corner in the hallway, he was barreled into by a small, human girl. While the collision had not affected him, it had knocked the girl flat to the ground. He watched in mild concern as she righted herself, apologizing profusely only to look up at him and stare.

He stared right back at her, wondering who she was. He recalled dimly his elder brother having a young human following him around and assumed that this must be her. A cursory sniff ascertained that she did indeed bear the scent claim of his brother and, as such, was not likely to be in any danger in these walls.

Apparently having finished her perusal of him, she asked, "Are you Lord Inuyasha?"

A little confused at the 'Lord', Inuyasha looked at her a second before responding, "Yeah, who are you?"

"I am Rin," she stated with an impish grin.

Wondering why she was so cheerful, he asked warily, "And do you know where my brother is?"

She seemed to think hard about that one. It occurred to him that she might not know that he was Sesshoumaru's brother, as such, he rephrased his question. "Rin, do you know where Sesshoumaru is?"

Her eyes suddenly lit up and she asked, "Lord Inuyasha is looking for Lord Sesshoumaru, too!"

Not used to dealing with someone like her, he cautiously answered, "Uh, yeah, I guess."

Suddenly the grin that had already been on her face widened even more until Inuyasha was afraid she was going to split her face completely in half. "Yay! Lord Inuyasha and I can look for Lord Sesshoumaru together!" and, without waiting for a response, she grabbed his hand and began pulling him back down the hallway he had just come up.

She then proceeded to remind him of every other human female he had ever met when she refused to listen to his protests that he had just come from that direction and continued to pull him that way anyway. Giving up what he knew from past experience to be a hopeless cause, he opted to watch the short pigtail on her head bounce with her steps instead.

She was certainly a lively child. He was curious as to why his brother had taken her under his care, but was pulled from his musings when she proceeded to lightly knock on the panel that led to the room he had just exited. Half a second later, she turned and continued on her way, but Inuyasha was confused. Why had she done that?

"Oi, Rin. Why'd you knock on the panel?"

Turning to him, her look reminded him of one someone would give a very slow child. "I had to see if Lord Sesshoumaru was in his sleeping room. If he had been, he would have answered."

She then turned around and attempted to continue on, but Inuyasha stayed put, his mind awhirl. He realized that he had not just been in a sleeping room, he had been in Sesshoumaru's sleeping room. That meant he had been sleeping with Sesshoumaru's sheets on Sesshoumaru's futon.

The gravity of the situation was enough to boggle the mind. Why had his brother put him to sleep on his own futon? There had to be multiple rooms in the castle that he could have been placed in. Visiting demon lords had to stay somewhere, right?

Pushing away his demon side that was absolutely enthralled that his intended mate had allowed him to sleep on his personal futon, and his human side that was reluctantly admitting that it was rather sweet of his brother to do so, he turned his attention back to Rin.

She was currently giving him a very concerned look. If he knew that look right, it was the one Kagome gave him right before she insisted he take off his haori so she could see what damage the latest demon they had been attacked by had done.

Knowing to be wary of that look, he asked, "What!" in as gruff of a manner as he could manage at the moment. Unfortunately, it had as little effect on her as it did on Kagome. He really had to get away from these humans that liked to hang around demons.

Instead of cringing away from him, she asked him if he was alright. He told her to forget about it and keep looking for his brother and, accepting that as an answer, she turned and continued to drag him down the hall. 'At least she's easier to appease than Kagome,' he mused.

He watched in morbid fascination as she, still holding his hand, skipped around the corner and down the next hallway chattering on about flowers and trees and whatever else she was talking about. He briefly wondered if anyone ever talked to this girl when he realized the scent of his brother, which had been strong to begin with, was getting stronger.

He didn't even have time to consider it when the little girl had already lightly knocked on the panel. Hearing a, "Yes, Rin?" in the unmistakable voice of his elder brother, he was abruptly released as the girl literally flung herself into the room.

He could only watch in disbelief as she ran at his brother where he was sitting at a table and screamed her battle cry, "Lord Sesshoumaru!" Sure those would be the last words out of her mouth, he couldn't do anything but wait for her demise when she stopped suddenly, not two inches away from his brother, never touching him.

He had to admire how well-trained his brother had her. Pondering the idea of asking his elder brother for pointers on dealing with his own group, he remained in the entranceway. Not really wanting to talk to his brother now that he was here, he was just about to leave when the golden eyes that had been looking at something on the table up till this moment, locked with his.

He could feel the pull and walked into the room without conscious thought. He felt as if he were in a daze. Ignoring the child who was talking a mile a minute to her 'Lord Sesshoumaru', he walked directly up to him as if under a spell.

Inuyasha was unsure what his brother did or said to the little girl, he was in too bewildered a state to do anything but focus on his elder brother. However, Sesshoumaru must have done something because Rin up and left the room for no apparent reason. All he knew was that he was now alone with the one his youki was insisting was his mate during mating season and his mind only had room for one idea.

He felt a shudder go down his spine when he heard his intended quietly mutter, "Come here, Inuyasha."

And, despite the faint protestations of his human half, he moved forward towards his older brother.

- - - - -

What's that evil laugh? Ah, yes. Kukukuku. Oh, I feel bad for you people.

Thank you for reading and/or reviewing.


	33. The First and Second Claims

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest, little citrusy (to read the entire lemon, see www . mediaminer . org under the same title and name or try to paste http/www. mediaminer. org/fanfic/view _underscore_ ch.php?cid395963&submitView+Chapter&id112205 remove the spaces and change the word 'underscore' to an underscore, for some reason it won't let me put one in, and it should take you to the chapter directly)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki

A/N: Sorry about all the cliffies. I realize you hate them, but, look on the bright side, I hate cliffies, too. If I write one, it makes it that much more likely that I will get my butt in gear and write out the next chapter sooner.

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Chapter 33: The First and Second Claims

As Sesshoumaru left Sturaki's abode, he looked down at the sleeping half-demon against his chest. He was truly a beautiful creature. To think that this strong, willful boy was his intended mate. It was incomprehensible to his conscious mind, but his youki and everyone around him was insisting that such was the case.

He took a whiff of his younger brother's scent and could no longer hold it back. His last reservations had disappeared while he was at Sturaki's home and now that he was alone with Inuyasha once again, he would put his scent claim on him. It would insure once and for all that no more demons would come sniffing around his brother.

Stopping where he was, he concentrated on the form wrapped in his fur accompaniment. He breathed in that intoxicating scent once again and focused his energy on increasing his own scent. It would have been enough to simply allow his younger brother to remain in his presence for another week or so and the claim would be in place, but his youki was having no part in that. It wanted his little brother scent claimed now.

As a result, he needed to call upon his demon blood to increase his own scent to such an extent that it overlaid his younger brother's scent. He allowed it to increase the intensity of his own scent up well past the intensity he had ever used in a scent claiming before. Just as he was beginning to wonder at how strong his little brother's personal scent was and whether his own scent was actually strong enough to overpower it, he was finally able to conquer it and place his claim.

He only realized after the claim had been placed that this must be why pack leaders almost never scent claimed other pack leaders. He had never really thought about it before, but, if he understood what had just happened correctly, as a pack leader, your own, personal scent had to be so powerful to place a scent claim on someone else in the first place that it made it practically impossible for another to place a scent claim on you.

He looked at his still sleeping baby brother in shock. The strength of your scent and ability to lay a scent claim was directly proportional to the pure strength available in your youki. For Inuyasha to have such a strong scent when he was not even fully grown was nothing short of astonishing. He wondered what else he did not know about his baby brother as he continued on his way back to his castle, unconsciously burying his nose in the hair crowning the half-demon's head, breathing in the new scent that had formed around him.

Seeing the castle in the distance, Sesshoumaru created his cloud and flew over the outer wall and through one of the windows that led to his personal sleeping room. He had entered the castle often enough this way that no one would even think to question it and it had the added benefit of not allowing anyone else to know just who he had brought into the castle.

Not that he cared what they thought about his choice in house guest, and, if things continued the way they appeared to be going, his baby brother would be becoming a permanent fixture in his home, but he would rather not deal with it right now. At the moment, all he wanted to do was get some of his own work done while he waited for his younger brother to wake up.

To this end, he laid Inuyasha down on the futon in his room and placed the silken sheet over the slumbering body. If he had been thinking about it, he most likely would have moved the half-demon to another room, but he wasn't so he didn't. Besides, his instincts were telling him that his intended mate would sleep better surrounded by his scent.

He considered working in the same room his brother was sleeping in momentarily before rejecting the notion. The scent coming off his little brother was trying to entice him to lay down next to the boy and drift off himself. Knowing that if he were to stay, he would, in fact, end up falling asleep right alongside his brother, he purposefully moved out of the room and down the hallways to his study.

Even in his study, it was difficult for him to ignore the siren call that was his baby brother's scent. He could tell that mating season was just hours away by how strong the urge to mate his little brother was getting. His youki was rather, he supposed pissed was putting it lightly, that he was not with his intended mate right now.

It was making it impossible to concentrate on his work. He was just about ready to give up entirely after several hours of attempting to get something, anything, accomplished, when he heard his young charge outside his study, talking rather animatedly to someone. Taking a sniff, he realized with dread just who that someone was.

How could he not have realized he was awake and roaming around his castle? Obviously Inuyasha was not the only one of them having problems noticing things. He wondered if this problem would go away with mating his younger brother and decided that anything would be preferable to his current situation.

When he heard the light rap on the panel, he knew his time was up. Calling out to Rin to come in, purposely ignoring the other person at the door, he did not even look up from his work. Maybe if he looked busy, his brother would take the hint and leave.

While he listened with half an ear to Rin babble about something or other, he realized that his younger brother had not taken a step into the study yet. In fact, he seemed to be preparing to leave again. Knowing he should be happy with this latest development, he could not comprehend why, of all possible things he could have done, he looked up into Inuyasha's eyes.

A second after he did that, he knew he shouldn't have for now he could not look away. It was as if his younger brother had put him under a spell. He had never realized how his intended radiated power and practically glowed. It was all he could do not to jump this enticing creature immediately.

In an attempt to distract himself, he tried to focus on what Rin was saying, but found he could not pull his attention away from the captivating being that was slowly walking towards him. As his brother drew nearer and nearer, Sesshoumaru realized he would not have much control once he was in touching range and, seeking to do damage control before there was any lasting damage, he told Rin to go play with Jaken.

She, of course, left the study, closing the door, to find the toad demon immediately, just as he had known she would. But, without her presence in the room, the space between him and his intended became oppressive. He gently called his little brother to him and watched with satisfaction as the request was immediately answered.

His youki was rumbling in contentment. His intended mate was such a good, submissive hanyou. The knowledge that this half-demon who was acting so submissive to him was submissive to no other but him only increased his desire for this being.

Standing, he pulled Inuyasha to him, pressing their bodies together completely. Burying his nose in his mate's neck, he took a deep breath and growled in pleasure when his mate tilted his head back, exposing more neck for him to peruse.

This show of complete submission turned him on more than anything he had ever encountered in his life. His youki was demanding loud and clear that he had to mate with this being. He had to make sure that no other would receive this type of submission from his brother. The very idea was enough to enrage his youki to the point where he almost forgot where he was and what he was doing.

He growled a, "Mine," into the throat of his younger brother.

When he heard a corresponding, "Yours," come faintly from his brother's lips, he almost lost what little control he had on his youki again.

He had no idea when his baby brother had learned to be so seductive. He was playing to every single one of his instincts as the alpha mate as if he had been doing this every day of his life and Sesshoumaru was falling to it quickly. Not a day previously he had not been sure if he was even going to proceed with the physical claim and yet, here he was, fully prepared to do so.

He found himself yanked back into the present abruptly when he felt his brother's claws digging into his back, pulling him even closer. That small reminder was enough to put him over the edge. If his little brother wanted it rough, he could do rough.

Ripping the clothes from his brother's body and his own, he growled at the moans that escaped from the hanyou's lips when he pulled him back against him. He could now clearly see the full-body flush that his little brother was sporting. Obviously being in heat was a good look on his brother.

Taking in another deep breath of his brother's scent, he realized it was even stronger than it had been when he had his clothes on. Losing himself to the smell, he crushed his lips to his mate's, delighting in the immediate response.

Sesshoumaru lightly scored Inuyasha's back with his claws, being careful to only just cut the skin as a tease. He heard his younger brother gasp into his mouth at the sensation and smirked. Who knew his baby brother would be so responsive?

Pulling away for a moment, he looked into his intended's eyes. All he could see was a haze of pure lust and desire reflecting back at him behind silver bangs. It was, without a doubt, the most breathtaking sight he had ever seen in his life. And to think, this ethereal being was all his.

At that moment, he held no concern for who his intended mate was, no concern for what he would have to do to convince the other lords he was serious about his choice, no concern that this should be the last person he would want as a mate. At this one moment in time, all he saw was his mate, the other half of his soul, standing before him, ripe for the taking, begging to be taken, and he could not resist.

Grabbing the boy to him fiercely, he once again took possession of those sweet lips. Unable to say it clearly in words, he attempted to show his chosen one that he was chosen. His little brother was his and no one else's. It became imperative in his mind that he make absolutely certain his brother be made aware of that fact.

After today, there would be no room for doubt in his mate's mind of who he belonged to. There would be no priestesses vying for his affections, his younger brother would be his and Sesshoumaru was not in the habit of sharing.

With these thoughts in mind, he lowered his mate to the ground, never releasing him. Once they were on the ground, however, he pulled back to look at this beautiful creature that belonged to him. His little brother's sliver hair formed a halo around his head, bringing out the pure gold of his eyes and swollen redness of his lips. The flush that he had seen earlier had only increased as time went by and the slight panting caused the muscles in his chest and abdomen to ripple enticingly.

Taking in the tempting form beneath him, he found himself overcome with the desire to see if he tasted as good as he looked, and, not seeing any reason not to, he began to lick and nip at any skin he could reach. He growled in contentment as the smaller form under him writhed in pleasure and emitted groans corresponding to each of his actions.

When he heard the moans turn into pleas, his youki insisted that it was high time he took his mate and made him completely his. To this end, he flipped his baby brother over as if he weighed nothing and pulled the lithe form up onto his knees.

(insert sex scene, sorry, not really able to see a 'clean' way to do it)

Releasing a guttural growl, his little brother reached one arm back over his elder brother's back as far as he could reach and, with abnormally razor-sharp claws, rent the flesh of his brother's back to ribbons, allowing his blood to flow freely over them both.

In response to the painful, tingling sensation on his back, Sesshoumaru used his own claws to once again scratch his little brother's back, only this time, it was not a gentle scoring, it was deep gouges that bled profusely made with claws emitting a special signature used solely for this purpose, cementing the physical claiming.

After admiring his handiwork, he allowed himself to collapse back on top of his new mate, noting how his brother, who could normally easily lift him, collapsed flat to the ground under their combined weight and exhaustion. Not bothering to move, he idly wondered what their mating marks would end up looking like as he joined his mate in dreamland.

- - - - -

Not quite what you were expecting I'd wager. Although, Inuyasha did make a comment about how violent mating tended to be. FYI, for those who might be interested, I think Inuyasha's mom and dad most likely used a slightly less violent version. In that I don't think a human could handle the amount of blood loss present in this particular one.

As always, thank you for reading and/or reviewing.


	34. The Mating Marks

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest, also a bit citrusy

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki

- - - - -

Chapter 34: The Mating Marks

Inuyasha was awoken rather roughly by a foot prodding his side. It wasn't enough to actually hurt him, just enough to shock him out of his sleep. He quickly realized where the jab came from when he saw his elder brother standing next to his prone form.

He blinked at him languidly, his brain still having yet to have gotten the message that it needed to awaken as well. He realized that he was still lying on the ground, naked, and his brain immediately clicked back into gear as the events of the previous day came back to him full force.

Sesshoumaru had mated with him. He had mated with Sesshoumaru. They were now mates. No matter how he thought it, that idea just did not seem possible. It was ludicrous. There was no way that his elder brother would have willing mated with him.

As thoughts of disbelief were swirling through his head, he heard his brother tell him to get up, put his clothes on, and follow him. He did it without even realizing it, too caught up in his own world.

He tried to get a grasp on the situation in his mind by forcing it into smaller pieces. Taking a deep breath, he ignored his elder brother and focused on his internal thoughts instead.

Yesterday, he had come to see his brother. He had been drawn to him and they had had sex. His brain once again refused to work its way around that idea. There was no possible way that his older brother, who had hated him probably since the day he was born, had mated with him. It just wasn't possible. Something else had to have happened.

But, now that he thought about it, maybe it was all because of mating season. He knew from talking to Myouga that there were few things in this world that were stronger than a youki's desire to mate. Under the right circumstances, a youki could force most anyone into mating. Youkis tended to be rather persuasive in their own right, after all.

And, with the scents he was positive he had been releasing yesterday, his brother might not really have stood a chance. Especially since he knew that his youki wanted his brother and his brother's youki wanted him. After all, Sesshoumaru seemed to have been just as much under the influence as he had been. Neither one of them had been in complete control of their actions during the encounter.

Unlike his normal, brash self, Inuyasha had found himself acting completely submissive to his elder brother. He had felt out of place in his own body which was moving in ways that Inuyasha was quite sure he was not instructing it to. But, much to his amazement, his body appeared to be able to do what he, alone, had not.

He watched his brother succumb to his show of submission rather quickly. Much faster than he had thought he would. Sesshoumaru was always so uptight. He had thought it would take much more than a few tilts of the head and seductive scents to ensnare him. However, apparently his instincts knew something he did not, for whatever they were doing, was definitely working and he was not about to complain.

He had wanted his brother to mate with him, and it was looking more and more like that was what he was going to do with every passing second. He could feel some of his initial fears about being his brother's mate popping up from his human side, but his demon side ruthlessly squashed them down. This was a demon thing and his human side had no part in it.

When his intended mate stopped suddenly, as if in thought, his instincts kicked back in. Mating was not a time for thought. It was a time for action. It was a time to allow the youki to roam free with its mate. So, to draw his mate's attention back to him and only him, he pricked his back with his claws. It was not enough to hurt, just enough to tease for what was to come later.

When his clothes as well as his mate's were suddenly removed not a moment later, he let out a groan of approval. His youki was quite content in the fact that his mate seemed to finally be getting with the program. He basked in the power of his mate's youki and responded eagerly to his kiss.

He was so lost in the passion that he almost whimpered when his mate pulled away to lower him to the ground. When he was not immediately joined there, he opened his eyes to take in the glorious creature that was before him. He longed to touch the smooth skin that covered taunt muscles on his mate's body. The abrupt ending of his left arm did not even cause Inuyasha a second thought in his perusal. His mate was perfect.

The light sheen of sweat covering his mate made him appear to glow in the dim light and his golden eyes shined with lust. Unable to hold back a moan at the pure heat that was being directed at him, he found himself becoming more and more aroused as his brother claimed every bit of him with his tongue and teeth.

Closing his eyes in ecstasy, he didn't even attempt to hold back his moans and soft cries, his youki telling him that his mate would love to hear them. He was not only not used to, but was uncomfortable with being shown this much affection by anyone, but his youki was insisting that it was alright for him to allow this.

In fact, his youki was insisting that not only was it alright, it was to be expected. He was the beta mate after all. If his alpha wanted to do this for him, he was expected to just lie back and enjoy it. He would have his chance to worship his alpha later.

The idea of getting a chance to return the favor to his mate later was enough to arouse him even more and he knew that he needed to be claimed. His body would not be able to stand not being claimed any longer. As such, he allowed his youki, which had been doing such a great job up to this point, to once again take the lead. He didn't even attempt to stop the pleas from flowing out of his mouth and before he knew it, he was on his hands and knees under his elder brother.

Feeling the heat behind him, he arched his back into it, wanting nothing more than to be surrounded by that heat. When he felt the claw at his entrance, he arched his back even further to encourage the action, hoping his brother would take the silent hint and fill him until he was once again complete as he had been in his dream.

Moments later, his silent prayers were answered in the form of his brother slamming into him. Unlike in the dream world, this time it hurt. Not as badly as being wounded in battle, but it was still bad and, since he had not been expecting it, he could not stop the barest of whimpers from leaving his throat. Thankfully, his mate stayed still long enough for him to adjust.

As his youki insisted the worst was over, he felt his mate begin to move in and out of him at a steady pace that he easily met, enjoying the feel of having his mate inside and outside of him. This feeling was only enhanced when he felt his brother drape his body over him.

Closing his eyes, he allowed the feeling of being completely dominated wash over him. He would never admit it to anyone but he liked the feeling. He enjoyed knowing, at least at this moment in time, he was not the one who was in charge. He was not the one who was responsible for everyone else. He was not even responsible for himself.

With this final surrender of conscious will, Inuyasha allowed himself to drop from his hands down to his elbows, resting his head on his forearms. He could feel his brother's head lying on his shoulder and took the continuing thrusts with contented ease. In the midst of this frenzy of movement, he had found his peace, his center, his home.

Feeling oddly disconnected from the entire experience, he felt his arousal rise with each stroke and as he felt his release, he reached behind him to gouge his brother's back. Strangely satisfied when he felt the warm blood flow over him, he did not even react when his brother returned the favor moments later. By the time his brother had collapsed on him, he was already mostly asleep.

Back in the present, he looked down at the hand that had ripped open his brother's flesh, realizing that there was still dried blood covering it. He wondered if the gouging they had done to each other's backs had been significant in some way. As he was just considering asking his elder brother, who had been silently leading him somewhere this entire time, they came upon a hot spring.

He watched his elder brother step up to the edge of the spring and remove his clothes without hesitation. For the first time, he was given the opportunity to see his elder brother's backside in his full glory. He took in the well-toned muscle that matched the front and couldn't help but notice the firm butt being presented before him. He felt an insane urge to grope it. 'Oh, god, I'm turning into Miroku,' he thought, trying to resist the temptation.

Forcing his eyes to look elsewhere lest he give into the temptation, he turned his gaze to his back, being slightly upset that the image was marred by dried blood, however, another part of him felt proud at the sight. That blood was there because of him. It was a sign to the rest of the world that this ethereal being belonged to him and only him.

But under the blood, he noticed something. Glistening in the morning sun, there was an image teasing just beneath the layer of blood, mocking him. He could not make out the figure but was sure that it had not been there before. Could this be his brother's mating mark?

His curiosity was insurmountable. He had to see just what figure now adorned the once pristine back of his mate. Without thinking about it, he stepped forward and touched the part of the image that was peeking through. When he felt Sesshoumaru stiffen, he sharply pulled his hand back.

Internally berating himself for forgetting who he was with, he did not even notice that his elder brother had turned around to look at him. "What is it, Inuyasha?"

At this, he looked up into his brother's eyes, being careful not to look anywhere else. Sesshoumaru didn't APPEAR to be upset. So, he decided to chance his question, "What is that on your back?"

"I would imagine it is the mating mark." He paused for a second and then asked, "What did it look like?"

Inuyasha shrugged, "Couldn't tell. Too much blood."

"We both know whose fault THAT was."

"Hey! You took just as much out of me!"

Instead of giving him a response, Sesshoumaru just turned back around and stepped into the water, commenting, "You really should clean up as well, little brother."

Noticing that his brother was not looking at him, Inuyasha quickly undressed and climbed into the hot spring, making sure there was a good distance between himself and his sibling.

He watched his brother raise an eyebrow at him. "Embarrassed now, little brother? And after all we did yesterday."

Inuyasha just mumbled, "Feh," and tried to keep the blush from his cheeks. The truth of the matter was, he really was embarrassed now. Yesterday, he had been so caught up in the mating season spell that he had not been able to feel unsure. Today, however, was another story entirely.

He decided this would be much easier if he did not have to acknowledge the youkai sitting on a rock ledge right next to him. To this end, he turned partially away from him and stepped away from the rock ledge, further out into the spring. When he was at waist level, he stopped, dunking under the water completely, trying to ignore his sibling's stare that was boring into his back.

Resurfacing, he briskly ran his hands over himself, ridding his body of the dried blood that had covered his back and hand. As he scrubbed away, he made note that the scoring seemed to be completely healed. His back felt as smooth as it had always been.

He quickly ducked under the water again, ready to be done with this bath when he heard a slight gasp. Turning quickly, sure that something was terribly wrong with his new mate, he saw the normally composed youkai lord walking slowly closer to him, an unidentifiable look on his face.

Taking a defensive step back, he stuttered out, "Wha-what's wrong with you, Sesshoumaru?" That look on his brother's face was creeping him out more than any other look his elder brother had ever directed towards him.

As his brother silently continued to walk towards him, he continued to take steps backward, never allowing his eyes to leave his new mate. When he finally reached the point in the spring where he could retreat no more, he stopped, looking like a deer in the headlights, sure his brother was really going to kill him now.

A peaceful encounter had obviously been too much to hope for. 'Way too much,' his human side said. 'Did you honestly think he was going to accept you?'

'But he mated with me, he has to accept me on some level,' his demon side argued back.

'You know your instincts had a lot to do with why you acted submissive and allowed him to mate with you. Why would it not be the same case with him? And now he's going to kill you for forcing him to lower himself to this level,' his human side insisted.

Sure that his human side was right, Inuyasha lowered his eyes from his brother's face. He didn't think he could stand to see the disgust on his beloved's face. As such, he was a little shocked when his brother grabbed his arm, turning him around and swept his hair over his shoulder.

Now he was confused. Why had Sesshoumaru done that? It was then that he felt a claw gently trace the middle of his back, almost as if it were following a line. He felt his entire being relax into the feel of the caress. To be touched so possessively, as if his brother had every right to do so, it made his youki rumble in contentment.

But even in this haze of contentment, he found himself wondering at just what his brother was doing. There was entirely too much purpose behind the tracing for it to just be a random movement. It was then that his brother's previous words returned to him, "…it is the mating mark."

Remembering his brother's other question, he asked, "What does it look like?" while trying to see it over his shoulder. Given the angle, seeing it that way was proving impossible. He made a mental note to find a mirror while he awaited his brother's answer.

He barely made out a murmur of, "Exquisite," from his brother.

It took all of his will-power not to turn around like an idiot trying to look at what had moved his normally emotionless brother so. Instead, he merely asked again, "Well, what does it look like, Sesshoumaru? I can't exactly see my own back you know."

"It is an inuyoukai in true form howling at the moon," he heard his elder brother say with no trace of the scorn that was normally present in his voice, in fact, if he had not known better, he would have called the tone almost awestruck.

He tried picturing it in his head and found himself at a loss. Growing in his resolve to find a mirror as soon as possible, he wondered at what his brother's looked like. Would it be the same as his? They were mates, right? It would stand to reason that it would look the same, at least in his mind. He wasn't too sure about what all the mating rituals entailed.

His curiosity overcoming his embarrassment, he quickly turned around and grabbed the arm that had been tracing the image on his back. When he pulled on the arm and his brother refused to move, instead giving him a questioning look, he said, "Come on, bastard. Let me see yours."

At the raised brow he said the first thing he could think of, "Don't you want to know what yours looks like?"

He thought he might have seen a slight smile on his elder brother's lips but was unsure for, not a moment later, he found himself once again presented with his mate's bare back. Not wanting to give his brother a chance to change his mind, he quickly moved the long hair out of the way and gasped at the image before him.

There, covering most of his mate's back was the most enchanting image he had ever seen. It was a likeness of a majestic tree. The delicate lines of the figure seemed to almost fade into the white expanse of his mate's back. Had he not been aware it was there or so close to his brother, he might not have even noticed it even existed. But, there it was, a tree that for some reason reminded him of Goshinboku, the tree he had spent 50 years pinned to, shining off his mate's back with its faint, iridescent lines. It was breathtaking and Inuyasha was not one to admit to something like that lightly.

His brother asking, "Are you planning on telling me what it looks like, little brother?" abruptly pulled him out of his contemplation of the mating mark.

He tried to answer but found his mouth dry. Quickly swallowing, he attempted again, this time able to get out a soft voice he knew his brother would be able to hear perfectly fine. "It's a tree."

"A tree?" he could hear the raised skepticism in the voice.

"Yeah, a tree," he said with more confidence. "I don't know, it kind of reminds me of Goshinboku."

"Goshinboku… You mean that tree you wasted 50 years being sealed to due to your foolishness?"

The cold-condescending tone was back and was making Inuyasha feel defensive again. "Yeah. What of it?"

"You decided to mark me with a symbol of your greatest mistake," he could hear the disgust dripping in his brother's tone.

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and shot back, "I didn't have any choice in the matter. I didn't ask it to create that image. It just did."

"The mating mark is always a symbol that holds great importance to the giver. If that tree is what you have marked me with, you must have meant to mark me with it."

"I already told you I didn't mean to," Inuyasha pouted, walking back over to where his clothes were. He was done with this bath. Everything had been going well up until now. Now, because of something he had no control over, his brother was angry with him again. He had been so stupid to believe that his brother might have actually accepted him. Apparently, even as his mate, he was unacceptable.

Getting down on all fours and shaking himself dry, he paid his brother no mind and began to pull his clothes back on. He would just leave now, he obviously wasn't wanted here. Besides, everyone else was probably wondering where he was by now.

Heavens only knew what Shippo had come up with to explain his absence to the rest of his group. He sighed. There was going to be questions, lots and lots of questions, questions he did not want to answer. He was sure of it.

He idly wondered if they would be able to see the mating mark on his back. That thought made him stop dead while he was still pulling on his haori. How was he supposed to explain it to them? He couldn't very well tell them he had mated with his elder brother, knowing good and well that his older brother had not changed his view of him at all.

He doubted that, 'My youki made me do it,' would carry much weight with them either. Deciding that he would just have to cross that bridge when he got to it, he finished pulling on his haori and was about to start off to Kaede's village when he heard, "And where do you think you're going?" from right behind him.

Not turning, he said, "Home," and began to head off only to find his arm in an iron grip.

"You already are home, mate."

- - - - -

A/N: In regards to the mating marks: I figure that if the blood mixed with the signature used only for the second claim covered both their backs in their entirety, wouldn't the mark as well? As for why the images are what they are, I thought about it a lot (probably too much) and those two pictures would not get out of my head. Hey, if you're going to make mystical beings have mystical mating marks, why not make them cool, right? I just wish I was a good enough artist to do the image I have of them in my head justice.

As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing. I really get a kick out of it (and it encourages me to write more).


	35. What's in a Mark?

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in, except Kira (which I actually did look up and it is apparently a female, Japanese name)

- - - - -

Chapter 35: What's in a Mark?

Sesshoumaru awoke to the soft sounds of the servants moving about, preparing breakfast. He felt oddly content and warm and cold at the same time. It took a moment for him to realize that his futon was moving. Leaping off of it, he looked down to see his still sleeping brother, face down, sprawled out on the floor.

He took in the dried blood covering his little brother's back and briefly wondered if it was more than he could stand to lose in his already weakened state. Then, remembering the way the magic of mating worked, he recalled that any blood that had been taken had already been replenished in the hours they had been asleep.

Finding himself wondering if any had seen them in such a state, he took a sniff of the room. With the exception of their two scents, the only other scent in the room was a stale smell of Rin from yesterday. Satisfied that none had witnessed this, he looked back at his baby brother.

What happened yesterday finally hit him. He had mated with his younger brother. He, the Lord of the West, had mated with this lowly hanyou. If that wasn't bad enough, he had mated with him in his study, on the floor. They had not even mated on a futon. How much more base could they get? 'At least it wasn't in the forest for all to see,' a voice in the back of his mind teased him.

Realizing that the voice had a point, he stopped that line of reasoning and looked down at his new mate. He briefly considered the idea of tracking down someone to assist in canceling the mating, but realized that it would be futile attempt until after mating season had passed. For, even if they were able to reverse it without ill effects coming to either of them, they would just feel the desire to mate again as soon as it was voided.

At least now with the mark having been laid and finalized, it was not nearly as difficult as it had been before to resist going to the boy, but he now felt a pull of a different sort. He felt the draw to protect his new mate, to keep him close and away from all harm.

As such, when it finally came to his attention that he was desperately in need of a bath to get rid of this dried blood, he could not force himself into leaving Inuyasha lying there on the ground. Not only did he need to protect his mate, but there was the possibility that his new mate now carried his pups. He would need to protect them all as the alpha mate.

Looking down at the hanyou on the floor, he wondered if the transformation had been completed before last night. He had been too preoccupied to concentrate on the intricacies of the scent at the time, but this morning, it was obvious that the transformation was complete.

Ignoring his youki which was insisting he have sex with his brother again to insure that he had gotten him pregnant, he contemplated how to awaken his slumbering sibling while pulling on his innermost layer of clothing. He did not bother with the rest of his outfit for, he was only getting dressed to walk to the spring and undress again.

Having finished making himself look presentable, he looked down at the sleeping hanyou again. With a mental sigh, he nudged the boy's side with his foot. When all he got in response was a slight groan and his brother changing positions, he nudged him harder. This time he saw Inuyasha open his eyes though they were rather unfocused.

He could tell the instant his new mate realized his situation and almost laughed at the look on his face. Not giving him time to completely comprehend the gravity of the circumstances, he gave a quick order to get dressed and follow him, watching in amusement as Inuyasha automatically did as he was told. He had a feeling he was going to like this new, more submissive, little brother.  
Once his little brother was dressed, he began to lead the way to the hot spring. He noted that Inuyasha appeared to be thinking hard about something and let it slide. This was obviously not what his younger brother had had planned for his life either. He wondered idly how his baby brother was going to take the knowledge that he would not be allowed to leave any time soon.

He knew that, for the rest of mating season, his youki would not allow him to be far away from his new mate. It would insist that he always knew exactly where he was and would likely go ballistic if he was out of scenting range of his little brother during that time.

His understanding of it from texts that he had been forced to study in his youth was that it was how the youki forced new mates into forming stronger bonds. Since it was frequently only during mating season that demons would get together and contemplate the claiming rituals, the second claim was often placed on two individuals who had never even met up until that point.

In an effort to solidify the bond, the alpha mate was given the express desire to stay close and protect the beta mate for the rest of the season. The beta mate was also given a desire to stay close to and be protected by the alpha mate. If a pregnancy occurred, it just made the alpha mate all that more protective. The scent the female would give off during pregnancy was specifically designed to bring out all the protective instincts in her mate.

However, there was no way to tell if pregnancy had been achieved until after a week had passed. So, Sesshoumaru knew that, up until the point his little brother started producing scents that proved he was carrying pups, he would feel the continual urge to have sex with his baby brother again to insure pregnancy and having his enticing mate near him all the time would not exactly help matters either.

He supposed the plus side to this whole matter was that no one would really expect him to get anything much accomplished during this mating season when word that he had finally taken a mate got out. Then again, nothing much ever seemed to get accomplished by ANY demons during mating season. Being essentially incapacitated one moon cycle out of the year, just came with the territory, as it were.

Seeing the hot spring come into view, Sesshoumaru mentally sighed in relief. The dried blood was starting to chaff his skin and being very irritating. If he had been a pup still, he would have shucked his clothes and jumped straight into the water, but he was no longer a pup, he was a dignified demon lord and did not do such things.

Instead, he calmly walked over to the water and removed his clothes, ready to step into the water, when he felt his new mate tentatively touch his back. Not used to being touched, recent events not withstanding, he immediately stiffened. When the hand instantaneously retreated, he could feel his little brother pulling back into himself.

For some reason, he did not want that to happen. He had no idea why that would be, but, instead of getting upset, he decided to see what had caught his baby brother's attention instead. Upon discerning that it was, in fact the mating mark that had caught his younger brother's eye, he had not been able to stop himself from asking what it looked like.

Given the response that there was too much blood to tell, he covered his own embarrassment by teasing the boy about being the reason for all that blood being there. His little brother was obviously still affecting his mental processes if he had not remembered how much blood was covering his back. So, before he could make anymore stupid mistakes, he turned from his brother and climbed into the hot spring, inviting his new mate to do so as well.

He watched in concealed amusement as his new mate acted like he had never been naked around him before. Remembering the night before, he found this new attitude of his brother's to be quite entertaining and called him on it. The slight blush on his baby brother's cheeks was rather fetching actually.

As Inuyasha walked out further into the spring, Sesshoumaru could not take his eyes off him. The slight sway of his silver hair with each step made a constantly moving mane that glowed in the early morning sun. His younger brother was given the appearance of a heavenly being and it was not until Inuyasha dunked himself under the water that Sesshoumaru remembered why he was there in the first place.

Mentally berating himself, he picked up a sponge that had been lying conveniently nearby and, dunking it in the water, set about washing his own back off. It was more difficult for him to do this task than it was for his younger brother because of his missing arm, but he had learned how to live with it.

In actuality, missing the arm tended to give him a bit of an edge on his opponents instead of hindering him as it should have. His opponents saw the one arm as being a handicap and would misjudge how much of a threat he was. It gave him an edge when they eventually attacked him, expecting no resistance. He was then able to dispose of them easily.

One of the very few who had not underestimated him in battle because of his missing arm was standing right in front of him, bathing. His little brother had never once treated the missing arm as a handicap. He had never assumed that Sesshoumaru was any less deadly because of it and had always treated him like the threat that he was.

He knew it should not have mattered to him, but yesterday when his mate-to-be had looked upon him in his completely unclothed state and not shown anything but adoration, he had been pleased. His mate did not see anything wrong with him because of his missing arm. His mate still saw him as attractive despite that or maybe because of that.

Given that his little brother was the one who had left him with only one arm, he supposed that Inuyasha might view it as one more mark of possession on his mate. Sesshoumaru had to admit that it was a much more blatant and obvious mark than the one that was now on his back. Unfortunately, the number of people who were aware of how he came to be missing his arm could be counted on his remaining hand and therefore, it wasn't an especially effective form of marking.

While he was on the subject of markings, his younger brother had just arisen from the water after a second dunk and he could clearly see a hint of the mating mark shining off his back in the sun. He involuntarily let a gasp pass his lips and watched as his little brother turned to face him quicker than a human eye could follow.

Standing from the ledge he had been seated on, he walked out to his new mate, intent on seeing exactly what his mating mark looked like. Even more than he was intrigued in the mark that now adorned his own back, he was interested in the mark that was on his mate's back.

He could remember the lesson he had been given on the importance of mating marks back right before he had reached his adolescence. It had been many hundreds of years ago, but, as with much of his training, it was still crystal clear in his head.

Sensei Kira was a black haired, dog demoness that had been brought to the palace specifically to teach Sesshoumaru about the claiming levels and rituals when he was about 300 years of age. She was the first demoness that had been brought to teach the young lord because the claiming rituals were seen as being a topic that the demonesses understood far better than the demons. So, not wanting his son to be lacking in his education, or more likely not being able to find a demon willing to teach the subject, Sesshoumaru's father had found a demoness specifically to teach this area to his son.

He already knew everything there was to know about the first claim. It was highly important for him to not only be able to lay a first claim on someone, but also for him to be able to recognize when a first claim had been laid on someone else. He knew that this information might very well be able to save his life one day and had taken it in with all studiousness.

With his knowledge of the first claim being complete, he had moved onto the second claim. Being at such a young age, he had yet to have been affected by a mating season and much of the second claim had not made sense to him. He dutifully listened and memorized the relevant information, but it was rather far removed from his current situation.

On this day, however, Sensei Kira had determined that he was ready to move onto a topic that was of much greater interest to him than the mechanics of the second claim. She had decided he was ready to learn about the mating marks that were left behind when the second claim was completed.

He had always wondered about the depictions that were on his parents' backs and the only answer he had ever gotten when he asked was that they were 'mating marks' which was nowhere near enough to satisfy the curious youkai. As such, he had been excited since he had found out the topic of today's lesson at the end of his last lesson. His parents had even inquired as to why he was being uncharacteristically fidgety at breakfast that morning. Maybe now he would have his questions answered.

Striding quickly to the room where he took his lessons, he forced himself to calm back down. It would not do for Sensei Kira to decide he was not mature enough to have this discussion with, after all. By the time he had reached the door, he had collected himself once again into the emotionless mask that his other senseis had had him working on for the past couple hundred years.

Sliding the door open far enough for him to pass through, he stepped inside before once again closing the door and looking to his sensei. He waited until she looked up from the scrolls she had been reading before he greeted her with a slight bow. She returned the greeting in kind and he went to sit on the ground next to her in the fashion that they often sat for lessons.

After he was seated, Sensei Kira turned to face him fully. He could see a slight glint in her eye that generally meant trouble for him. "So, Lord Sesshoumaru, are you ready to talk about the significance of mating marks?"

"I shall learn what you have to teach, Sensei Kira," he responded, being careful to keep his voice level. No matter how much he wanted to know, it would be unbefitting of him to outwardly show his interest.

He watched her raise a brow at him and say, "No need to get so excited about it, Lord Sesshoumaru. You might hurt yourself," to which he merely looked at her. She was often given to making odd comments. It was one of the reasons he preferred his demon senseis.

Ignoring his stare, she began to talk. "As we have discussed previously, the last part of the second claim is the drawing of blood. The claws that are used to draw this blood are steeped with a special substance that in turn mixes with the blood. The mixture then covers the entire back of each of the newly mated couple.

"After this occurs, both mates will fall asleep for a long enough time for the mating mark to appear. Depending on the individuals this can be a very long or a very short period of time. However, once they have awoken, the mark will be present on the back of each mate, albeit covered in dried blood.

"An interesting thing to note about the marks is that they are different on every person. No two demons or demonesses have the exact same mark on their back. More fascinatingly, the mark that appears seems to have more to do with the giver than the receiver. In the odd event that a person takes more than one mate in a lifetime, the mark on their back will not be the one that they had previously.

"Likewise, with the death of their mate, assuming the other mate does not immediately follow them into death, the mating mark will disappear from the back of the one who remains alive." Here she paused, looking at him, "You had a question, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Up until that point, he had not realized that his mask had slipped a bit while he was listening. If she had not called him on it, he most likely would have never noticed that he had furrowed his brows in slight confusion. But, since she had brought up the issue, he decided to ask the question that had popped into his mind. "What determines what the mating mark looks like?"

"Excellent question, Lord Sesshoumaru. I was just getting to that.

"The marks are determined by the marker. It is a rather personal way of laying claim to a certain individual. The image that appears on the back always holds special significance to the one who has given the claim.

"If you look at the mark, you will get a glimpse into the soul of the one who left it. What does that person hold dear? What motivates that person? The mark that is left behind is very telling.

"You yourself do not consciously choose what your mark will be, your spirit chooses it for you. Looking at your own mark will give you insight into your own mind, your own heart, your own being.

"Because it is so, the marks are rather jealously hidden from most. They are difficult to see unless you know they are there and, being that they are on the back, they are often covered with clothing. It is a rare thing to see a marked demon or demoness with their back uncovered in a public forum.

"But do not let that lead you to believe you cannot tell a marked person from and unmarked person. For those who are trained in how to see it, it takes a single glance to determine if the individual is marked or not. And before you ask, yes, I will be teaching you how to see it.

"But, before that, do you have any other questions?" she asked, looking at him expectantly.

He mentally shook himself out of his revelry as he came within touching distance of his little brother. From that day on, he had been curious about what his own mating mark would look like when he eventually claimed a mate. He wondered if it would look like either of his parents' marks had.

Grabbing Inuyasha's arm, he turned his new mate around, sweeping the bothersome hair out of the way so that he could get a good look at the mark he had left. There, standing proudly in the center of his little brother's back, was an inuyoukai in true form.

He could not help but trace the iridescent outline with one claw. The delicate, almost feathery lines filled in a beautiful line art drawing of the inuyoukai. The outline of his markings shone on the figure and he could see each hair that adorned the body of the dog. It was more detailed than any artist rendering he had ever seen. It was without a doubt the single most exquisite depiction he had ever laid eyes on.

But even so, he wondered why he was standing alone. His father had left a similar mark on his mother, but in his father's there had been multiple inuyoukai. There was an entire family of them, in fact, some on the ground asleep, others appearing to be playing, with a single, proud, inuyoukai in the midst of it all. Why was his only the one? What did it say of him that his spirit chose for him to stand alone?

Taking in the almost mournful look on the inuyoukai's face, he realized that the demon was howling. Following the upward curve of the youkai's body, he saw a moon on the left shoulder of his mate. Looking at it closely, he realized that it was not quite full. He was mildly confused by this until he realized that with last night having been the full moon, tonight would not quite be a full moon. In fact, the moon tonight would look much the same as the moon that was currently adorning his mate's shoulder. He was wondering if the moon would continue to change with the cycle when his thoughts were interrupted by Inuyasha.

Giving his brother the only explanation he could about what the mating mark looked like, being as there were no words that could possibly hope to describe it, he was a little shocked when his younger brother turned around a moment later and pulled on his arm. Not understanding, he just stood there, watching his mate.

It took a moment for his mind to process his new mate's request to see his back and allow himself to be turned around. No longer looking at his younger brother, he felt some of his self-control coming back to him and asked what it looked like in a tone of voice that he thought was much more like his own.

At hearing it was a tree, he was understandably confused. He could understand an inuyoukai. That made sense, he could even understand the mountains that his mother had placed on his father's back, she had been born in the mountains but had to leave them to become his father's mate, after all. But a tree?

And then to hear that it was the tree his younger brother had been sealed to. It was incomprehensible to him. Why would his mate want to be constantly reminded of his greatest mistake? Everyone who looked at his back now would know that he was mated to the hanyou who had been sealed to the tree. For, there was no doubt in his mind that if Inuyasha said it reminded him of that tree, it was an exact line art depiction of said tree.

He knew he was being rather unfair in attacking his brother on the issue, seeing as it was not actually something he had conscious control over, but he couldn't help it. He had been dealt so many insults in the past few days. He could not stand for this one more.

This was a mark he would have to carry for the rest of his or his sibling's life. Every time someone saw it, they would wonder what it meant to his mate and once they knew his mate was, there would be even more questions. It would raise doubts of the stability of their mating. They would wonder if his brother felt trapped into this mating the same way he had felt trapped when he was sealed to that tree. They would try to use it against them.

As he was pondering all the possible ways this latest show of idiocy from his younger brother could disrupt his entire life, he had not even noticed that the object of his thoughts had since gotten out of the spring and was getting dressed. Being pulled from his contemplation by a flash of red in his line of vision, he suddenly realized that his new mate had every intention of leaving immediately.

His youki rebelled against the idea. His new mate was still in a vulnerable state and, thus, he would need to stay with him and protect him. This one desire came to the forefront of his mind and, overwhelming all other thought, brought him to his brother's side.

When he heard his younger brother tell him he was going home, his youki became enraged and he grabbed his little brother's arm hard enough to bruise if his sibling had been a human. He then informed him that he already was home, blatantly ignoring the shocked look his brother was giving him at those words.

His younger brother would need to be taught his place in the palace. As the lord's mate, he could not just wander off whenever he wanted to. This palace was now his home. He, as the beta mate, would have to go to Sesshoumaru, the alpha mate, for permission before he would be allowed to go off on any of these little trips of his. Not that Sesshoumaru had any intention of allowing him to do so in any event.

Keeping a steady eye on his brother for any signs of attempting to leave, Sesshoumaru calmly dried himself and put his clothes back on. It was time for breakfast and his new mate needed to eat something. With a brief instruction to follow him, he turned and went back to the castle, sure his younger brother would follow.

He was not overly concerned that his brother was going to just leave because, while he could still feel the upset coming off the boy, it was now mixed with interest. He knew that he had made his new mate curious as to why he was not allowed to leave just yet and was counting on that to be enough to keep him in check for the moment.

Reentering the palace, he walked regally down one of the halls to the eating area. He ignored the few servants he passed as they quickly bowed and then went about their business. They were not worthy of his attention, after all. Although, he did notice that his younger brother seemed to be a bit ill at ease with them and made another mental note to correct that problem.

He realized he was going to have a lot of work ahead of him in making Inuyasha a suitable mate for him, but he had faith that it could be done. He refused to give up on it and his little brother would bend to his will if it was the last thing he did.

- - - - -

Well, I hope you're all happy. This chapter is 9 pages long. No wonder it took forever to write. Oh, and sorry to everyone who hates flashbacks, I couldn't resist. Don't worry there will be more story progression in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading and/or reviewing. I really appreciate both.


	36. Breakfast at the Palace

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

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Chapter 36: Breakfast at the Palace

Inuyasha watched his brother get dressed with a certain amount of wariness. What was going through his head? He already was home? That was the single most ridiculous thing he had ever heard come out of his brother's mouth.

Just because they were now mates, did not mean that he had live with the bastard now. He wasn't even sure if he was going to let him be around any possible pups that may have come from the mating. Sesshoumaru was being rather presumptuous if he thought that Inuyasha was going to stick around just because they were now mates.

However, that did not stop him from following his new mate back to the palace. He wanted to know just what his elder brother had on his mind before he left. And make no mistake, he was leaving. He had what he wanted out of this and felt that he and his brother had already spent quite enough time with the brotherly bonding, his desire to be accepted by his only remaining family not withstanding. Besides, his brother had already made it quite clear that he was not now, nor ever would be acceptable. Why continue the charade?

Inuyasha refused to allow his youki to give voice to the contentment that it felt in his mate's presence. It wanted him to stay here with his new mate for the rest of his life, never leaving his side, but that was impossible. Instead of allowing his youki to get a foothold with its unattainable desires, he did not allow the thought of just staying to even cross his mind no matter how good it sounded.

Instead, he just followed his elder brother to see what it was that he wanted. Then he would leave. There would be no reason to stay after that anyway.

As they walked into the palace, they passed servants who immediately bowed to Sesshoumaru, but they made Inuyasha a little nervous. There certainly were a lot of them, most of which were youkai in nature, although he did catch the odd human thrown in. He figured they were most likely there to take care of the girl he had met yesterday.

It was the first time he had seen any demon other than Jaken in a servant's role without appearing to be under a spell of some sort and Jaken hardly counted given how lowly of a being he was. But these servants, they did not look to be of the lowly sort like Jaken and he began to wonder just what Sesshoumaru had on them that they became cowed into this lifestyle.

All thoughts of the servants and how his brother came into possession of them left his mind when Sesshoumaru slid open a panel on the wall that the servants had been entering and exiting. The scent that reached his nose was of food, quite tasty food too and he was suddenly reminded of the fact that he had not gotten to eat since two days ago.

Barely able to restrain himself, he walked over to the table, picking up the first thing that looked edible and sniffing it, just to make sure it was. After that test, he shoved it into his mouth and picked up another item, repeating the process. He ignored the looks that he could feel his elder brother giving him and when Jaken came up to him whining about something or other, he promptly stepped on the imp, effectively shutting him up.

It was only when he heard the giggle coming from Rin at the act that he stopped for an instant, looking up at the girl curiously. "Oi, kid, what's funny?"

"Lord Inuyasha is," she answered with a grin.

Now that he had some food in his stomach, he was feeling a little more amenable to talking and sat at the table, continuing to gather food while he asked, "And why is that?"

"Lord Inuyasha eats the way I used to. I have never seen anyone other than me eat that way before," she explained with her child-like innocence.

But, despite the delivery, Inuyasha was floored. He knew what that meant. Despite outward appearances, Inuyasha was actually quite aware of how his eating habits looked to others. It was something he had picked up while living by himself and he had not wanted to be bothered with changing his eating style to suit Kagome's more delicate sensibilities. Besides, after all the years he spent with his youki pitched firmly in survival mode when it came to eating, he was unsure if it was even possible for him to change the way he ate at this point.

But, that aside, he realized that this little girl who sat across from him had to have been starving at one point in her rather short life. He wondered how long she had lived that way for. For her to still remember it clearly enough to make the comparison, it must have been quite some time or quite recently.

Looking at her more closely, he tried to determine if she was eating enough under his brother's care. She appeared to be alright and a cursory sniff of her across the table did not turn up anything amiss either, although, admittedly, the scent of the food was getting in the way. Running out of other options, he asked, trying to sound like he could care less, "You hungry, kid?"

Watching her carefully for her response, he saw no hesitation when she once again giggled and replied, "Of course I am, I haven't had breakfast yet."

"Why don't you eat?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru has to sit and begin first, Lord Inuyasha," she said in a tone that made Inuyasha feel a little foolish. He really should have remembered that. He had lived in a palace for the first handful of years of his life. He had been taught a certain amount of the etiquette needed and just because he never made use of this knowledge now, did not forgive not remembering it at all.

He should have known that with as anal as his brother was, he would have taught this human girl all about the etiquette for eating at a lord's table. Not that he was planning on following any of it, but still, he couldn't really expect the girl who lived in his care to not follow it either.

To cover up his slight embarrassment, he instead sarcastically asked, "And how long is it going to take Lord Sesshoumaru to get his ass over here and begin?" knowing full well his elder brother was standing right behind him.

Apparently his older brother had finally had enough, he had been wondering how much longer he was going to wait, for he now felt a single hand lifting him from his place at the table from behind. He heard a cold, "You would do well to listen to the girl's lessons, little brother."

"Keh. Like I'm gonna wait for your sorry ass to eat."

"I do not have to feed you, Inuyasha."

It was really starting to piss him off that he couldn't see his brother's face at the moment. With the hand around his neck, he was at a significant disadvantage. If he struggled, it made him look like an idiot because he knew that his brother was holding too tightly for him to get free. If he didn't struggle though, it made him look submissive. At the same time, he wasn't sure just how much talking back his brother was going to stand for before he decided it would be easier just to snap his neck than listen to him because he couldn't see his face.

Releasing a growl, he grabbed the hand around his neck and demanded, "Let me go, you bastard. I never asked you to feed me. If you recall, I wanted to leave."

Instead of releasing him immediately, his brother moved him around the table saying, "You are an ungrateful whelp and your seat is here," dropping him on the right-hand side, next to the head of the table.

Not having expected the sudden drop, he found himself once again sprawled on the ground. Only this time, there was a little human girl laughing at him again. Shaking his head in momentary defeat, he tried to regain as much dignity as possible and sat upright at the table once again, now in his new position.

Noticing that Sesshoumaru had taken up his seat to the immediate left of him, at the head of the table, he abruptly realized just where he was sitting. He was sitting in the spot reserved for the lady of the house. Incensed, he turned back to his brother, who was now eating and yelled, "I am not the WIFE!"

"Wife?" his brother asked with a raised eyebrow.

Inuyasha mentally slapped himself. Here he was in a demon household, using human terms. He had obviously been hanging around humans entirely too long. Changing his terminology, he continued yelling, "Bitch, Lady, whatever! I am NOT it!"

He could almost see the smirk that wanted to break free on Sesshoumaru's face. His brother was making fun of him! He did not have to put up with this. Renewed in his dislike of his brother, he stood and made to leave again when he heard, "Sit back down and finish eating, Inuyasha," in the authoritative tone that his new mate used so well.

Feeling compelled to listen and obey, he cursed his demon blood and sat back down but did not continue eating. He decided the best way to deal with this was a silent protest.

"Are you no longer hungry, little brother?"

Inuyasha ignored him, looking straight ahead. He may not have control over whether or not he followed direct orders from the one who his demon blood saw as the alpha mate, but he didn't have to talk to him. He still had his human blood in him and it was highly ticked off that his brother was acting like such an ass. It was then he felt a small hand on his arm.

Turning to look at the big-eyed child sitting next to him, he heard her ask, "Don't you want to eat more, Lord Inuyasha? It's really good and you looked really hungry before."

"I've lost my appetite."

He watched the little head bob up and down with a look of understanding on her face. "Oh, that happens to me, too, sometimes."

"Why do you lose your appetite, kid?" Not that he really cared. He had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with being forced to eat around an imp all the time, but it was a good way to ignore his brother. It was also a good way to drive home the point that he was only ignoring Sesshoumaru.

He watched her open her mouth to answer then glance at something behind him before, once again, closing her mouth. He wondered just what look her brother had given her to elicit that response, but when she went right back to eating again, he turned once more to look straight across the table, ignoring his brother.

He tried to keep a blank face while his demon and human blood battled it out in his head. His demon blood was insisting he act like a good mate and go back to eating and acknowledging his mate. However, his human blood just wanted him to get out of there immediately. He was no longer famished, there was no reason for him to stick around.

He was just about to attempt making his body get up and leave despite the protests of his youki which wanted to stay with his mate, when he heard his brother say, "Inuyasha, you are acting like a child."

"And you're acting like a bastard," Inuyasha shot back, finally giving in and turning to face Sesshoumaru. He could see the annoyance beginning to bleed into the youkai's eyes, but, for some reason, Sesshoumaru seemed to be holding it back. Inuyasha tried to ignore the desire to submit and quell the annoyance, but he refused to give in to it, although it was much harder now that he was looking at his brother's face.

"Inuyasha, you are still hungry, eat. I will not have my mate starve while in my care." If it had been said in a caring way, he might have given in. His demon blood had been demanding he submit since he had woken up this morning after all. But, it was said in that uncaring, put-upon voice that his brother had perfected so well, as if he was an idiot for making him say it in the first place.

As such, he refused to submit and, ignoring Jaken's stuttering, pushed himself away from the table. "I never asked to be in your care, bastard. I can take care of myself." With that, he turned to leave through the entrance they had come in, not ready to admit that he actually was still a little hungry. His human side refused to give his brother that victory.

He had not gotten two steps when he felt another vice grip on his arm. Only this time, he did not take it peacefully, he tried to tug his arm out of the grasp only to have it tighten. As the grip was gaining power, he could almost feel his bones beginning to creak. Too much more of this and they would snap like twigs.

He then felt a muscular chest against his back and his mate's voice in his ear. "Where do you think you're going, little brother. We are not finished here yet."

This only served to anger him more. Sesshoumaru was obviously playing some kind of sick game with him. His elder brother was toying with the desires of his demon side and he didn't like it. Not wanting to know what would happen if he were to give into the wants of his demon blood and just submit, he had no desire to stick around and find out what the conclusion of this would be.

His human blood was insisting he had to get out of here now and he was in complete agreement. His demon blood and its responses were starting to scare him more than normal. So, in a move that was faster than the human eye could follow, he wrenched himself around, freeing his arm, at the expense of pulling his shoulder and slapped his brother full on across the face, not bothering to watch his claws.

Having freed himself from the grip, he leaped to the other side of the room, watching his brother warily. If he had to describe the look in his brother's eyes, he would have called it shocked. It looked as if Sesshoumaru had not expected him to be able to break through the ludicrous desires of his demon blood. He watched the four clean cuts from his claws run down his brother's face and the look turn to one he was much more familiar with. Rage.

He could hear the growl growing louder in his brother's voice as he walked closer, while Inuyasha found himself once again unable to move. "I will not stand for this disobedience. I am the alpha mate, you will submit to my commands."

With his last words, his brother was on top of him and shoving him back against a wall. He could feel the rage pouring off Sesshoumaru and was fighting an even more intense internal battle. His demon side was becoming desperate in its need to submit, but his human side was hearing none of it. His human side wanted him to fight and leave.

Inuyasha felt like he was being torn apart from the inside. He had no idea why his demon side wanted to stay here so badly but he could not force it to give up control of his motions for his human side to take over. With a scream that filled the palace, he mercifully went unconscious, not able to deal with the mental torment anymore.

- - - - -

Sorry about how long this took, my muse went on vacation and then I burned my hand. Ouch.

And so they're at it again. If Inuyasha's human side would only submit, they wouldn't have so many problems. But then, where would my story be without problems?

Thanks for reading and/or reviewing. I appreciate both. Also, I must congratulate many of the reviews I got on the last chapter. You all asked some excellent questions. Unfortunately, I'm not going to answer any of them at the moment. You'll just have to wait for your answers in future chapters. But I did love the questions. Feel free to ask any more that you have, they help me gather my thoughts.


	37. Healing the Inuhanyou

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in, except the healer

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Chapter 37: Healing the Inuhanyou

Sesshoumaru looked at his not even a day old mate lying on his futon. He was waiting for the healer to come. Hopefully, she would know what was wrong with his little brother. As it was, his youki was insisting that he should be helping his mate right now.

If he had known of some way to help his baby brother, he would, if only to appease his youki, but, as it was, he had no idea where to even begin. He was not even sure what had happened. It had been going well up until breakfast and he wondered if this was perhaps his doing. Although, thinking back over the meal, he could not see how.

As soon as they had entered the dining room, Sesshoumaru had watched his new mate move directly to the table and begin to eat the food lying there in shock. After a cursory sniff, he was shoving the food into his mouth, barely pausing long enough to chew before swallowing and picking up the next item. The way Inuyasha was acting, it was like he hadn't seen food in weeks instead of a couple of days.

This was one of the most disgusting displays he had ever seen. If this is how his new mate always ate food, it would need to get trained out of him as soon as possible. Sesshoumaru could just imagine the reaction of other demon lords to his younger brother consuming food in such a manner. He mentally shuddered at the very idea.

He watched as Jaken ran up to his brother, insisting that he should not be eating this food or some other such nonsense and was about to step in and tell Jaken to mind his place when his baby brother did the job for him, stepping on the annoying imp, effectively silencing him.

He stepped into the room fully to the sound of his young ward laughing at his new mate. As he watched Inuyasha sit down across from Rin at the table, something clicked in his head. His little brother was not sitting where he was supposed to be sitting.

Determining that this would be the first lesson his new mate would learn, he went to stand behind his brother. He had been intending to simply direct Inuyasha to where he should be sitting until he heard the nature of the conversation his little brother was having with his charge.

He didn't care if Inuyasha was his mate or not, no one talked about him that way. As such, he grabbed his younger brother by the back of the neck. It was not an overly violent reaction in his mind. After all, if he had wanted to, it would be a relatively simple thing to crush the delicate neck that was in his hand. He knew that his brother knew that as well.

He thought it was a rather tempered display of his displeasure. Apparently, his brother did not agree. Instead of accepting the reprimand in good grace, he decided to fight him on the issue. So, in retaliation, he dropped his baby brother into his spot rather than placing him there more gently. His new mate needed to learn the appropriate way to act, after all.

Then, just as he was about to start eating, his new mate made the most absurd observation. So his baby brother was upset about being in the feminine role in their relationship? His youki found that to be endlessly amusing. Of course his little brother was the female. He was the one who could bear pups, after all. Not only that, but he was obviously the beta in this relationship.

He had known that Inuyasha was a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but he had not thought his younger brother was that stupid. How was it that he could not know that, between the two of them, he was quite obviously the submissive? He hadn't honestly expected him, Sesshoumaru, to take on the submissive role had he? What an utterly ridiculous idea.

As if in direct defiance of what was running through his mind, he watched his mate pointedly ignore him. He tried to pay no heed to it, really he did, but his youki was getting more ticked off by the minute. How dare his mate ignore him? He was the alpha mate, he should be the center of his little brother's attention. It was just the way it should be, especially now, during mating season.

It made Sesshoumaru wonder what the hell his little brother's youki was thinking. He knew that he, himself, wasn't exactly acting like he normally did at the moment, but with the surge in power in his own youki what with it being mating season still and him having just gotten a new mate, it was impossible for him to ignore its urges. He was sure that his little brother must be feeling the same desires.

But, with this behavior, it was looking like his little brother was not even affected by his youki. Sesshoumaru was beginning to feel like Inuyasha felt he was not even worthy of his consideration. His little brother was showing more interest in his young charge than he was in him, his mate. This was unacceptable. He couldn't stop the look of annoyance from coming over his features and he knew that Rin had seen it as well, for she stopped talking to his mate immediately.

However, even without the distraction of his young charge, his baby brother was still ignoring him. Not knowing what else to do and being caught somewhere between anger and annoyance, he told his little brother to grow up and get over this perceived slight of his. Sesshoumaru had not even realized that he had called Inuyasha his mate aloud until he heard Jaken's stuttering, but he pushed the annoying imp out of his mind, he would have had to find out soon enough and it was not like he really cared what Jaken thought in any event.

But, when his mate stood from the table to leave, the anger in his youki came back full force. Not only was his beta not submitting like a good mate, he was still hungry. There was no way his little brother had actually finished eating, and he had meant what he had said previously about not allowing his mate to go hungry under his care. Even if he, himself, did not care, his youki did and would never allow him to let his new mate starve.

As such, Inuyasha had not taken two steps before Sesshoumaru had caught up with him using his supernatural speed. Grabbing his arm, he tried to impose his will on the hanyou and force him into submission through sheer force of determination. All of Sesshoumaru's instincts were insisting that his baby brother should be submitting. He could not understand why his little brother was bothering to try to resist him. It was an impossible task, surely he realized that.

He had thought that he might have finally gotten through to his little brother when he felt the boy rip his arm out of his grasp and slash Sesshoumaru across the face with his claws. Ignoring the blood flowing from the new wounds, his youki became enraged. He was the alpha, he would be obeyed. If his mate could not understand that the easy way, he would have to do it the hard way.

Pushing rational thought out of his head, his youki took over, focused solely on teaching his mate his place. His youki didn't care if he had to beat it into him, his younger brother was going to understand his station. There was no other way around it. Then, just as his youki was reestablishing its dominance over his little brother's youki, Inuyasha did something totally unexpected.

He screamed. It wasn't a normal scream either. Sesshoumaru had never heard a scream such as the one that his new mate had emitted. It sounded like Inuyasha was being tortured and he never wanted to hear that sound again. Then, to make matters worse, his little brother had gone unconscious immediately thereafter. He would have collapsed to the floor had it not been for his elder brother's presence. As it was, Sesshoumaru had caught his limp mate effortlessly.

His youki had immediately ceased its anger and gone into panic mode as it tried to determine what had happened to his mate. A cursory sniff revealed nothing to the distressed demon lord and he realized he would have to get the healer quickly. Having ascertained this, he ordered Jaken to retrieve the healer and carried his ailing mate up to his room. The least he could do was make him comfortable.

And so he was back to where he had started. A sudden thought occurred to him, what if the food had been poisoned in some way? He dismissed it in the next thought, if it had been, Rin would have been affected as well, and she was not. Besides, he had watched his younger brother smell each item before placing it in his mouth. Even with his weaker hanyou nose, he would have still been able to smell the taint that would accompany poisoning.

But if it was not poisoning, what could it possibly be? Maybe his youki was weakening even more than he had thought. He sent out a cursory feeler to see the strength in his brother's youki and found that, indeed, it was weaker than he had remembered it being even that morning.

He furrowed his brow at his sickly mate. There had to be something that could be done about this increasingly weakening youki. When he saw the boy moan and shift, he went to his side without thought. Reaching out to gently touch his younger brother's head, he did not even hear the panel slide open behind him.

He was unaware of the healer's presence until she was almost right on top of them asking if this was the patient. Tearing his gaze away from his brother, he looked up and told her, "Yes, see what you can do, healer."

(Healer's POV)

When she had first heard that Lord Sesshoumaru needed her, she had been surprised. He did not often have need of her services. Her main interactions dealt with keeping her lord's servants alive.

She had occasionally been called upon to assist with the young girl that he had taken into his care recently, but her lord seemed to prefer finding a human healer to take care of the child. She supposed it was just as well, she knew very little about how to help a human. They had such frail bodies, after all.

So, when she had received the summons, she hurried as quickly as possible to her lord's scent. Passing down hall after hall, she finally followed his scent to his personal sleeping room. With dread, she realized that the being in need of her assistance must be Lord Sesshoumaru himself. She could not bring herself to comprehend what could possibly bring down such a strong youkai, but all evidence seemed to pointing in that direction.

She lightly knocked on the panel for entrance, but received no response even though she was positive her lord was inside. She knew how jealously her lord guarded his privacy, but there was the matter of her needing to help the person who was in trouble.

Swallowing her apprehension, she slowly opened the panel, hoping that her often times violent lord would not mistakenly attack her for her impudence. Upon entering the room, she quietly slid the panel shut again and turned to take in the space.

She was shocked by the sight before her. Lord Sesshoumaru was not the one who was ill at all. He was kneeling beside his futon, gently touching a figure that was lying there. She caught a hint of silver hair on floor, but it was impossible to tell if it was her lord's or her patient's hair. Taking a cursory sniff of the room, she caught the scent of a female inuhanyou mixed in with her lord's scent.

Could it be that Lord Sesshoumaru had finally found his mate? She felt a wave of happiness at the idea and smiled for a moment before carefully schooling her features once more. It would not do for her lord to think that she was not taking the care of his new mate seriously. He had been lonely for so long and, in her mind, it was high past time when he should have found a mate.

She found herself not wanting to disturb this rather touching scene that was playing out in front of her. She had never seen her lord show such tenderness to anyone, even the little girl he kept. But, she also knew that she had a job to do and she would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to her lord's new mate because she had dallied.

As such, she walked up to Lord Sesshoumaru's side and got her first good look at who she presumed was her patient. It was indeed an inuhanyou, but there was a definitely masculine look to the face which was in opposition with the smell that was being emitted. Putting that aside, she took in the pale skin and sweat-covered forehead.

This hanyou, barely more than a child really, was obviously in severe distress. Noting that Lord Sesshoumaru had yet to acknowledge her presence, she looked down at him, only to see him lost in contemplation. To pull him out of his thoughts, she gently asked him if this was her patient, even though it was obvious to her that it was.

Finally, he noticed she was there. She watched him pull his gaze away from his mate and ask her to help the child. She then observed him as he tried to get himself to rise and step back. Knowing that it would most likely be better for both her patient and her lord if he were to stay close to his mate, she said, "Please, Lord Sesshoumaru, remain where you are. I may need your assistance."

She watched as the demon lord turned back to his mate and began to, once again, stroke the being on the futon in a rather soothing manner. She had never seen her lord act in such a way towards anyone. She was quite happy that she was given the opportunity to see such a rare sight, but wished it was under better circumstances. As it was, she could feel the concern coming off him in waves.

The healer knew she would have to be careful with her actions. She had dealt with mated inuyoukai before and knew that they had a tendency to be overprotective of their mates, even if she was trying to help said mate. She was unsure how her lord would deal with her examination, but decided she would have to cross that bridge when she got to it.

Partially to take his mind off his mate's distress and partially to keep him from killing her while she examined his mate, she began to ask the youkai lord questions, "What is my patient's name?"

"Inuyasha."

"And what is wrong with Lady Inuyasha?" she continued to speak, all the while taking a visual survey of her patient.

"You will refer to him as Lord Inuyasha," Lord Sesshoumaru said in some annoyance.

"Sorry, my lord. What is wrong with Lord Inuyasha?" she corrected quickly, not wanting to upset the rather volatile youkai in front of her. To say she was surprised to hear that her patient was a 'him' was putting it mildly. If this was indeed a male, why was she smelling such a strong, feminine scent coming off him? It didn't make any sense. Although, it did serve to explain the rather masculine features.

Lord Sesshoumaru gave her a rather cross look. "If I knew what was wrong with him, I would have no need for you."

"What I meant was, why did you send for me? What happened?" she asked, trying to appease him. She reminded herself that he was not being purposely disrespectful, he was just very distressed about his mate.

"We were eating breakfast and had a disagreement and then he screamed and collapsed."

"Nothing touched him?"

"I touched him briefly before he collapsed."

She furrowed her brow. Something was not adding up. "What was the argument about?"

"I fail to see how that is of any relevance to his illness."

"Lord Sesshoumaru, please let me be the judge of that. Would you please tell me what the nature of your disagreement was?"

"He was not filling his role of beta mate appropriately."

"I see," she said, though she didn't really. What could the child have possibly done that would constitute not filling his role properly? There was very little that a beta mate was expected to do, after all. Just about any behavior could be deemed appropriate for a beta mate so long as the alpha mate did not take issue with it. It was well known that mates had to strike a balance between them. There was always the give and take present, and in some situations, the alpha was not even the dominant one.

The concept that the beta mate was always supposed to be subservient to the alpha mate was more of an intellectual construct than a reality. Youkis were such that they picked good matches for each other. They would never place an overly controlling demon with a demoness who would not stand up for herself. It went against many of their basic desires.

Much of what a youki looked for in a mate was a being that had just as much if not more raw power than the interested youki. It was one of the reasons it had been so difficult for her lord to find a mate. Being the most powerful among the demon lords, his youki would have been unimpressed with any of the demonesses around even if there had been any available.

But, now it seemed that that was no longer a problem. He had found his mate and as soon as she figured out what was wrong with him, he could go back to being properly mated. She found a secret pleasure in knowing that his new mate would most likely be able to help change her lord for the better. For, if he was strong enough to be her lord's mate, she knew he was strong enough to get through to Lord Sesshoumaru.

As a result of this balance of power in the youkis, there was also a balance of power in the relationship between the mates. Without this balance present, she had seen many difficulties arise between mates. Knowing that this was a new mating, however, she was not overly concerned as of yet. There had most likely not been enough time to establish the relationship hierarchy yet.

Because of this, she did not consider a possible power struggle between the two new mates a feasible reason for the difficulties Lord Inuyasha was facing presently. But, being the good healer she was, she put the idea in the back of her thoughts just in case. It was possible that the human blood in the younger mate was causing the mating bond problems, after all.

Having finished her visual examination without seeing anything amiss, she dispelled her musings from her mind as she closed her eyes and sent out her senses to check various things. The first thing that came to her attention was that Lord Inuyasha's youki was as low as a regular demon's. The healer was sure that had to be much lower than his normal levels, even though she had not previously met him, otherwise he would not have become Lord Sesshoumaru's mate.

She wondered at why his youki was so weakened, when she noticed something bizarre. As Lord Sesshoumaru was kneeling next to his mate, streams of youki were ebbing right off of her lord and going into the hanyou on the futon. She wondered at this for a moment, being that she had never seen anything like it before, when a new idea occurred to her.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, have you completed the third claim with your mate?"

She watched him scoff at the idea, "Don't be ridiculous. Of course I have not."

She had begun to sink back into her meditative state, still confused as to what was causing the ebb of youki when she heard, "What makes you ask such a question, healer?"

"I have merely noticed that your youki is feeding your mate's youki, my lord."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No, Lord Sesshoumaru, there's no problem with it. It is most likely what is keeping your mate's youki from dropping to critical levels. It is just that it is unusual for mates who have not completed the third or sometimes even fourth claim to have this ability. That is all."

"I do not understand, healer. It was my understanding that my youki has been supporting his youki for days now. Well before even the first claim was laid."

If she had been surprised before, now, she was utterly shocked. While she had never heard of a couple who had only completed the first two levels of claiming having this ability, she had at least seen it as a possibility. However, knowing that he had been doing this before they had even begun the mating process? Nothing she had ever seen had led her to believe that was even possible.

It was all adding up to a very confusing picture and if there was one thing the healer did not like, it was confusion. In her line of work, confusion often led to deaths. Trying to work out what was really going on here, she continued to ask Lord Sesshoumaru questions. "Why was his youki weakened in the first place?"

"He was gaining the ability to bear pups."

She blinked rapidly, surely she had heard that wrong. "I'm sorry, my lord. Could you please repeat that?"

She listened to Lord Sesshoumaru give a put-upon sigh and respond, "In the past few days, Inuyasha has gained the ability to bear pups. Evidently, this ability is created through the usage of youki."

Now that she knew she had heard correctly, she realized that this was astounding. True, she had read of the wolf youkai having gained this ability during the war that was millennia ago, but this was the first case she had ever even heard hint of where it was a dog demon. Not only that, but a half-dog demon. She now knew why that feminine scent had been coming off the boy. She also knew that her job had just become that much harder.

Making a mental note to search for any information that might be around in reference to the ability to bear young in wolf demons, she went back to her perusal of the boy in front of her. With the exception of the weakened youki, she could not sense anything wrong with Lord Inuyasha.

She came back out of her trance with a sigh. Lord Sesshoumaru was not going to be happy with what she had to tell him. She had hoped that she could have been of more assistance to him, but it appeared that her lord was already doing all that could be done.

She just did not have enough information to go on at the moment. She needed to know more about the process through which the wolf demons had gained the ability to bear young. Maybe then she could be of more help. Until then, there was no more that she could do than her lord was already doing.

Looking to the youkai lord who had still not removed his gaze from his mate, she said, "The best thing you can do for your mate right now is stay by him, Lord Sesshoumaru. I will endeavor to locate more information on how to help Lord Inuyasha, but, at present, I am unable to suggest anything better than what you are already doing. Your mate needs to rest and you need to stay near him while he does so."

The healer looked into the golden eyes of her lord, making sure he understood what she was saying. "It is very important you do not leave him alone or he may die. At present, it is only through the support of your youki that he is not in worse shape. I shall return later to check on Lord Inuyasha again."

After receiving a sign of dismissal, she stood once again and walked out of the room. Once outside, she closed her eyes and brought her hand to her forehead. This was going to be one of the most difficult things that she had ever attempted to do. Steeling her resolve for the work that was to come, she began to walk back to her quarters, racking her brain for any wolf healers that might have been alive several thousand years ago.

(Sesshoumaru's POV)

Sesshoumaru held his youki in check until the healer had left the room. It was enraged that she had not known of any other way to help his mate, but he knew that she was one of the best healers in the land and, as such, would be the most likely to assist after she had time to look into the problem. He had to remind himself that it was not her fault that she did not know how to deal with a hanyou who was gaining the ability to bear pups.

He looked down at his mate again with a sigh. So it was his youki that was causing the problem. That meant it was most likely still trying to compensate for being able to bear pups. He had thought that would have ended with the ending of the change. Apparently he had been wrong.

However, now that he knew the problem and had at least some way of helping, his youki was slightly less on edge than it had been previously. Gazing at his younger brother again, he did the only thing he could think of to try and help his new mate.

He closed his eyes and focused on his own youki. Once he was sure that his youki was focused, he concentrated on drawing it into one continuous stream and feeding it into his younger brother's youki. He could feel his power being sapped from his body, but his own instincts would accept nothing less. It was his duty as the alpha mate to protect and assist his beta mate.

As more of his youki was flowing into the boy in front of him, he could feel his baby brother's youki growing in strength slowly. Seeing that it was working, he became even more determined in his desire to bolster that power. He was so focused on this one task, he took no note of the hours passing or the day turning to night.

Indeed, for the two new mates, time did not seem to pass at all as they remained, one in a trance and the other unconscious, slowly regaining his strength.

- - - - -

Thanks for reading and/or reviewing. They are both very much appreciated.


	38. Interlude: Somewhere

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in, except Sturaki

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Interlude 1: Somewhere

It hungered. It could feel the draw of the demons and demonesses. They called to it. They urged it to come, to sate its immense appetite on them. It was so easy, one youkai here, two there. It was a veritable banquet.

Even when they tried to fight it, they were defenseless. They did not have the tools needed to do so. For all their strength and skill, there was nothing they could do against it. There was no way for them to stand in opposition to it.

For all the trouble they caused to it, they might as well have been gnats trying to capture a human. At best, those in its way were barely worthy of its note. At worst, the demons and demonesses were slight annoyances to it.

If it had cared one way or the other, it might have noted that the demons and demonesses it had been ravenously devouring were from the higher echelons of youkai society. It might have even been amazed at how easily it had taken down this supposedly undefeatable prey. But that information was of no consequence to it. It merely hungered for more.

In its hunger, it had been traveling for what felt like ages. It did not know where it had come from, but it knew where it was going. It had felt a pull to the west and, so, it was going to the west.

If it had been in possession of a thinking mind, it might have wondered why it was feeling this pull or what was causing the draw. But it was driven solely by its hunger and instinct. Not knowing or caring one way or the other for the future, it continued on its path towards its destiny.

- - - - -

Yes, it's short. But look on the bright side, there will be another new chapter up soon. (Most likely in a day or two if neither one of my girls gets sick again.)

As for how long it took to get up, when it rains, it pours. Over this past week, my glasses broke, we got a new computer that had to get installed, both my girls have been changing their sleep schedules, and my oldest came down with the flu. In all honesty, I'm lucky I've gotten any writing done.

Thanks as always for reading and/or reviewing.


	39. In Other News

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in, except Sturaki and Lord Kurasko

A/N: This chapter has a little Inuyasha/Sesshoumaru but is mostly about all the other people we haven't heard from recently.

A/N 2: For those of you who are still confused, the interlude was from the perspective of the new foe Lord Kurasko mentioned to Sesshoumaru in Chapter 27 and what was told to Inuyasha by Sturaki in Chapter 30.

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Chapter 38: In Other News...

Inuyasha did not wake up the next day or even the next. The healer returned to check on him and his mate every day, but there was nothing she could do. She had indeed found a wolf demon healer who had been alive and even witnessed some of these male wolves giving birth.

As soon as she had found out about this youkai, she had sent urgent word through one of Lord Sesshoumaru's messengers, but she was still waiting to hear back from them. Hopefully the youkai would be willing to come to her aid. She was at a loss as to what to do and while she understood the need for her lord to send his youki into his young mate, she did not like the effect it was having on the elder youkai.

Lord Sesshoumaru's own youki was becoming noticeably weaker as time went by but, with the exception of making him leave, there was not much she could do on that issue. She could not force him to depart for several reasons. One of which was his own determination to help his mate. Another was that it would put Lord Inuyasha at a great risk of dying if he were to be separated from the constant stream.

As it was, the only thing she could do for them was attempt to break her lord out of his trancelike state every so often to eat. But, as the days went by, and he became more and more engrossed in his mate's youki, even this was becoming almost impossible. The last time she had gotten him to eat, he had not even completely come out of the meditation.

But, for all that he was doing, his mate did not appear to be much better than he had been in the first place. She sighed. If this wolf demon healer could not help her lord and his mate, she was out of options.

The Eastern Lands

Meanwhile Lord Kurasko was returning home with a grin on his face. The great Lord Sesshoumaru had finally found a mate and a half-demon one at that. Every time the thought crossed his mind, he let out another laugh. It was the most hilarious thing he had ever heard of in his entire life.

After all, Lord Sesshoumaru had spent a good bit of time making damn sure that no one thought he held his father's more… interesting views in regards to humans and half-demons. He had even gone so far as to hold executions of demons that did not agree with him after his father's death. But this, taking a hanyou mate, this was amusing.

Not that he could blame the youkai lord. That was one of the single most enchanting individuals he had ever met. And that, coupled with the sheer power in his youki, was more than enough to make that hanyou a desirable catch. If he had not been Lord Sesshoumaru's younger brother and thus, had a previous claim on him already, Kurasko would not have thought twice about fighting the demon lord for him.

He just knew that the little spitfire he had tried to make his own would put the unstoppable western lord in his place. Oh, this was something he would relish. He was positive the next meeting between the lords and their mates was going to be the most interesting he had ever attended.

As he entered his palace, he ignored the shocked looks that were on his servant's faces. They were no doubt wondering why in the world he was smiling with all the problems that were currently haunting his doorstep. He did nothing to allay their concerns, for, while he was not as aloof as many of the demon lords, he was still above explaining himself to mere servants.

Walking down his halls, he was met by one of his advisors. He saw the optimistic look on the higher level demon's face and momentarily felt bad that he did not really have good news. He knew that his current look would be interpreted as being that he had found an ally in Lord Sesshoumaru, while that was not the case.

Sorry to disappoint the poor man who had been given more and more difficulties as time passed due to this latest incursion, he allowed the grin to fall from his face. He answered the inquiring look without forcing the man to ask. Although he supposed that the very fact that Lord Sesshoumaru had agreed to look into it should be considered good news, he also knew it was unlikely that the dog demon would decide to assist.

He watched the hopeful look fall from his fellow youkai's face as he continued to walk down the hall to his study. The amusement he had felt over Lord Sesshoumaru having found his half-demon mate was quickly dissipating as he drew closer to the room. He knew what awaited him there. Stacks and stacks of maps and reports from his forces who were following this monster.

What he had told the inuyoukai was true. Things were going from bad to worse, but at the same time, he had downplayed the situation. He doubted the youkai lord had realized just how dire the circumstances really were. He had told him it was higher level demons who were being killed, but had not mentioned that many of them were ones that were held in high esteem for their fighting prowess. Quite a few had been masters and many had still been in the prime of their lives.

Prior to going to Lord Sesshoumaru for help, he had tried just about everything else he could think of. There were currently priestesses and monks traveling with his armies in an attempt to garner more information on their foe or possibly come up with a way to fight back, but so far there was nothing panning out on that front.

All his armies seemed to do was get there in time to bury the bodies. He idly wondered why his forces had not been attacked yet, but supposed that it might be due to sheer numbers. Why attack a large group of youkai armed to the teeth when there was much easier prey close by? Which led to another question of why the youkai were being attacked in the first place. Nothing was missing that they could tell, but there had to be a reason. This could not be happening without a purpose.

He gloomily glanced through the papers on his desk, there had been a dozen more deaths since he had left. Things could not continue in this manner. With a sigh, he settled back down to his desk to continue his work.

Kaede's Village

The days following Inuyasha's departure and Kagome's return to her era passed slowly for the rest of the group. At first, they were merely happy for the reprieve. With the two highest strung members of their party not present, their entire attitude shifted. There was a peace in the air that they were loathe to question.

Even Shippo's insistence that Inuyasha was under a spell with his elder brother and had gone to find a way to break it had not bothered the calm. They had learned early on not to take any of the kitsune's tales too seriously. After all, Shippo was very young and prone to creating elaborate stories. Besides, if what he said was actually the case, there was little they could do about it now. Inuyasha had already left.

The entire rest of the group took this silence as a god-send. There was no yelling across the village, no demands that they leave right now, no complaining about when Kagome would return. It was merely day after day of lazing around, sharpening and polishing weapons that had been left too long in disrepair for want of time, and watching Shippo chase Kirara around in a loose game of tag.

But, as often happens when a calm is enforced on a normally active group, they began to get restless. After a few days, it was no longer a welcome reprieve, but an unbearable monotony. They found themselves wishing for the hunt, the all consuming quest, even the arguments and whining.

In an effort to allay the growing discontent in her young houseguests, Kaede had taken it upon herself to assign each of them tasks to help out around the village. While it did much in the way of helping them work off their excess energy, it did nothing to cure the wanderlust that had begun to overtake them once again.

They had been traveling in the company of the inuhanyou and priestess for entirely too long. It was utterly ridiculous that only a few days remaining in one spot would lead them to such extremes, as they should have welcomed the break. However, Kaede merely smiled at their fidgeting. No matter how they wished to deny it, theirs was truly a group that thrived on travel.

So it was that when Kagome returned from her time, it was to a group that was not in especially good spirits. Coming back to Kaede's home just in time for the evening meal, she had immediately noted the impatience present and the notable absence of the inuhanyou she loved so much. Wondering at his whereabouts, she asked, "Where's Inuyasha?"

She saw Shippo immediately jump to the fore, crying, "I know! I know!" while the others exchanged glances.

She waited patiently for Shippo to continue talking, but he had apparently gotten so excited with being the one that knew that he had forgotten what it was that he knew. So, Kagome asked again, "Where's Inuyasha, Shippo?"

"He's with Sesshoumaru," the kitsune answered matter-of-factly, looking quite pleased with himself.

At the sound of his half-brother's name, Kagome felt a chill go up her spine. If Inuyasha was with his elder brother, he was most likely in great danger. She could feel her heart begin to beat faster in concern. She tried to keep the panic from her voice as she inquired, "Why is he with Sesshoumaru, Shippo?"

Happy to be in his story-telling mode, Shippo sat down and explained what had happened to his captive audience, only one of whom was paying any serious attention to his tale. "After you left, I went to find Inuyasha. He can get into trouble by himself, you know.

"After I found him, Sesshoumaru showed up but they weren't fighting or anything. They were just talking and when I asked about it, Inuyasha said that they had business to take care of, whatever that means.

"Then, Sesshoumaru got really mad at Inuyasha and tried to choke him, but Inuyasha got him to stop. Then dog boy dropped me off here and said he would be back when they were done finding the cure for the spell." The kitsune nodded his head sagely, but Kagome still didn't completely understand. What spell?

She watched as Shippo cocked his head to the side with a contemplative look, "It was really weird. They weren't acting like they hated each other at all. And they were both so calm and serious about it the entire time.

"In fact, they were acting a little like how my mom and dad used to act. It was really scary. I hope they find a way to break that spell soon because seeing the two of them getting along is just a little too freaky, even for me."

"You mean they weren't fighting at all?" Kagome asked.

"Nope, they were getting along quite well, actually."

"What do you mean they were acting like your mom and dad used to act?" asked Kaede. Shippo had not mentioned this detail in his previous recounting.

Shippo turned from Kagome to the rest of the group and realized that he now had their full concentration once again. Relishing the attention, he answered Kaede's question. "After Sesshoumaru started to choke Inuyasha, Inuyasha stroked Sesshoumaru's hair and Sesshoumaru calmed right down. He then pulled Inuyasha into his lap and held him."

At the looks of disbelief, he continued, "Like I said, they were obviously under a spell. Of course, once I pointed it out, Sesshoumaru dropped Inuyasha out of the tree on his head…"

"Wait! When did they get in a tree?" asked Sango.

"Unusual spell that can be broken when the victim becomes aware of it," Kaede murmured too lowly for the other humans to hear.

In answer to the question voiced by Sango, Shippo said, "After we left Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha was taking me back here, dog boy jumped into a tree. Sesshoumaru came up too."

"But why?" questioned Miroku.

"Why what?"

"Why did Sesshoumaru follow you?"

"I already told you, Inuyasha had business with him. Besides, they needed to break the spell."

Kagome, who had been listening to this go back and forth with more and more concern asked, "What kind of spell, Shippo?"

"I don't know! Why are you asking me all these questions? I'm just a kid! All I know is what I told you!" Shippo yelled, getting more agitated with all the questions as time went by. He hadn't understood what was going on at the time, there was no way he would be able to answer all their questions now.

Putting her efforts into calming the distressed kitsune, Kagome came to the conclusion that they needed to get to Inuyasha and fast. Even if it was not what Shippo thought it was, there was bound to be trouble if Sesshoumaru was involved.

As such, she demanded that they begin trying to find just where Inuyasha was immediately. The rest of the group did not bother to argue. She was already in her commanding mode and they had been itching for something to do since the night before. Besides, with the new information they had been given, they were now more concerned than they had been previously as well.

Following her lead, they once again made their way out into the forests, ignoring the signs that pointed to the beginning of mating season as only humans can. Sango, being a demon slayer, should have really remembered when mating season was, but she had been spending more time worrying about Miroku and his obsessions than she had watching for the signs this year.

Shippo or Kirara might have been able to tell them what time of year it was, but for the fact that Shippo was much too young to take a mate and Kirara could not speak their language. Kirara had, in fact, attempted to warn them against this trip, but it was taken as her leg still hurting from her previous injury and she had found herself being carried into the woods, wondering at the lack of observation present in humans.

As it was, Kirara was the only one present that could possibly help lead them to where they were going with Inuyasha no longer there and Shippo being as young and untrained as he was. And so, Kirara found herself keeping a lookout not only for the now-weak scent trails of the inuhanyou, but also for any other demons that might be in the area.

It was exhausting work to steer the rest of the group around and through all these possible threats, but with their pack leader absent, it was her job to do so. And so, following her direction, the rag-tag group trudged along, days behind their leader, even though they all knew there was no real hope of them ever catching up.

For days they traveled, following Kirara's lead, stopping at night to rest and continuing on with the morning light. It was a testament to Kirara's skill as a guide that they only ran into three lower level demons during their travel, all of which were exterminated with an efficiency bordering on routine.

Then, on the fourth day of walking, they reached a platform on the side of a mountain. They decided to stop there and rest for the night, exhausted from their travels, never realizing they were camped directly outside the home of the witch Sturaki.

- - - - -

I realize this chapter has a lot of information in it and is in a slightly different tone than the other chapters. However, it was more or less written as a bridge for background on what is going on elsewhere. (i.e. I didn't really think anyone wanted to read a bunch of chapters about a week of what was going on with the rest of the Inuyasha gang instead of getting back to Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha sooner. Besides, all the relevant things are there.)

I will try and get more of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru in the next chapter.

Thanks so much for reading and/or reviewing. I really appreciate it.


	40. Don't Hurt Yourself

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest, but, if you are in this section, you should already know that

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

Chapter 39: Don't Hurt Yourself

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He was trapped. There was no way for him to break free. He watched as they battled in front of him, ignoring his presence. He had been trying to break out of this cage they had him in for what felt like an eternity, but they had sealed it tight.

He had tried to scream, but it did not seem like anyone could hear him. Or, if they could, they weren't answering. He had no idea how long he had been stuck in this place, time had no meaning here. He once again turned his attention to the forces that were battling it out in front of him.

His demon side was shouting about being a good mate. A good beta mate was submissive to its alpha mate. A good beta did not purposely try to piss off its alpha. A good beta paid attention to its alpha and tried to do what its alpha wanted it to do. It was just the way things were. The way they were supposed to be.

However, his human side was just as furious. He was insisting that Sesshoumaru had done absolutely nothing to earn his submission and/or trust. Sesshoumaru had not shown himself to be worthy of either of those things yet. There was no reason for blind submission to him. Despite the fact that he was the alpha mate, which, his human side was quick to point out, had not been his decision, there was no reason to give him control.

His demon side was insisting back that they were made for one another. The witch had even said so. There was no other for either of them. He was also insisting that his human side should be happy it got the mate it was supposed to have.

His human side did not see it that way, he saw that he now had an overly controlling mate who would try and run his life. He saw the violence in the actions towards him when he did not immediately obey, when he did not instantaneously submit.

His demon side was saying that it was his right as alpha to punish the beta for not submitting. There was no way he could expect such a powerful youkai as his mate to allow this level of disobedience from his beta. As the beta, it was his duty to submit. It was his obligation to appease the alpha.

His human side was insisting he had never had to placate anyone before in his life and he was not about to start now with that bastard he called a brother. And his human side brought them back to the point that Sesshoumaru had done absolutely nothing to prove that he was even worthy of the title of 'mate' let alone that he would be a good one.

And it continued on from there. The two of them had been going at it for what felt like ages already and were showing no signs of stopping any time soon. If it were not for the fact that it was two parts of his own mind fighting over his own future, he might have found the argument to be more interesting. As it was, the fight outside was just as terrifying to him as the fact that he could not escape from this prison of his.

The dispute playing out in front of him had long since become circular in nature. Neither side was willing to give in on anything and they both refused to listen to him. Normally, he would step in and mediate a compromise between the two or even just shove one of the sides out of the picture entirely, but they were having none of it this time. In fact, that was how he had ended up in this captivity in the first place.

He had tried to step in between the fight between his human and demon sides. Needless to say, neither had appreciated it. And, in a rare show of solidarity, they had worked together to put him in this cage until they had a chance to conclude this argument in their own way. Listening to the discussion, he realized that they were not going to be resolving anything any time soon.

With a sigh, Inuyasha's hanyou self, which normally had control over his general consciousness, just sat back, wondering what was going on in the world outside his head. He was sure that some time must have passed there, he just had no idea how much.

He wondered what Sesshoumaru's reaction had been to him blacking out on him. 'He probably got pissed that he didn't get a chance to force me into submission,' he thought, ignoring momentarily that it was his elder brother's desire to force him into submission that had got him into this mess in the first place.

But the real question was what he was doing now. Concentrating a little harder, he realized that he could still feel his older brother around him. 'So he didn't decide to abandon me. Why wouldn't he have abandoned me?' It didn't make sense to Inuyasha. His brother should have left him.

The most he had learned to expect from the youkai lord would be for him to have possibly taken him back to his friends for them to take care of him. But he wouldn't have even thought Sesshoumaru would do that much. It just didn't fit with what he knew of his brother. It didn't matter that he was now mated to his brother, there was still little love lost between them. All he needed for evidence of that was his brother's behavior right before he had passed out.

Suddenly another thought occurred to him. What if it wasn't about him at all? What if it was about the possible pups? What if the only reason his elder brother was watching out for him was because of the pups that he might be carrying now? That sounded much more like the older brother he was used to.

His mind made up on that issue, he allowed it to wander to the topic of his friends. He had told Shippo to tell them not to worry and that he would be back soon, but he knew that, once Kagome was back and heard what the kitsune had to say, she was not going to leave it at that. She was going to insist that they come find him immediately.

And that made Inuyasha worry. He had intended to be back before Kagome had returned. He did not want his group traveling unprotected through the woods during mating season. It was not a safe time for them to be out and about. He hoped that they knew that.

By all rights, Sango and Kirara at the very least should know that, but he had been surprised before. For all the knowledge that the slayer had about killing youkai, she sometimes had surprisingly little about what youkai were actually like when you were not trying to kill them. He idly wondered if she even knew the signs to look out for with mating season.

He tried to remember if she had noticed them last year, but, since he had been with the group and purposely found an excuse to keep them grounded during the entire moon cycle, he was unsure if she had noticed the changes. She hadn't said anything to him about it, if she had. Then again, Sango rarely talked to him, seeming to prefer the company of Kagome or even Miroku.

He supposed it might come from the fact that he was a half-demon. She had been taught to fight his kind her whole life. But for the fact that she appeared to have no problem with Shippo or Kirara, he would have thought that she had a grudge against youkai in general. 'Maybe it's only the less cute and cuddly youkai she has a problem with,' he mused.

It almost made him wonder why she had decided to come with them at all, but he already knew the answer to that question. Kagome. That girl had the singular ability to get anyone to do almost anything. She had gotten him to open up more than he had since he was a young pup. She had gotten Miroku to join their group, although he had yet to decide if that blessing or a curse. She had convinced Sango to come with them as well.

She had also managed to amass quite the male harem. It used to bother him. After all, wasn't it obvious that she was HIS alpha female? Even if they weren't mates, that much should have been a given. But he supposed that humans didn't really think of things that way, and, with the exception of Kouga, every one of them was human. All they saw was a nice girl that was too kind-hearted for her own good. Besides, wasn't that why he had liked her in the first place himself?

She had made him feel like maybe being a hanyou wasn't such a big deal. Maybe there wasn't something so wrong with him that he should have been killed at birth to save the rest of the world from his deformity. Maybe it was even possible to be a hanyou and be happy.

He had been a fool. He had listened to her even though he knew he shouldn't have. His demon side had insisted that nothing she was saying could be true, it went against everything that he had ever learned through his rather difficult life. But his human side, his human side had been enraptured. His human side had loved what this girl was saying and was willing to believe every word that came out of her mouth. His human side had wanted her.

And he, the mediator between the two worlds that existed simultaneously inside his head, he allowed himself to be drawn in. He had allowed himself to put aside the reality that his youki did not see her as an appropriate mate. The truth that he would have to leave her, that she would have to leave him. He forced himself not to think about it even as he counted down the days to her final departure from his time.

And now, now he was bound to his older brother. He could not have her any longer. He would have to let her go, but he found he didn't want to. Inuyasha wanted to hold on to her even tighter because he knew she would not ask anything of him that he truly did not want to give or do. She was safe. He knew what she wanted.

His brother, however, he had no idea what his brother wanted of him. His own mate was a complete mystery to him. As he thought back over the years, he realized that Sesshoumaru was an absolute contradiction. His attitudes and desires seemed to change depending on what day he saw him.

He could remember times of almost happiness with his brother when he was much younger. He could remember following his scent to wherever he was and talking to him. But he could also remember times of being beaten, instances of such hatred from the same being. He had never known what to expect from his brother.

And now that he was his mate, he still had no idea what to expect from him. He tried to think about it rationally. And, without his human and demon sides buffeting him with their mixed signals, he found himself in a unique position to think on the issue in peace.

He knew that Sesshoumaru had major control issues. He had just had people doing whatever he wanted them to do for too long. And that translated over into everything in his life. As Sesshoumaru's mate, he, too, would be expected to be under Sesshoumaru's control. He would be expected to bend to the whims of the older youkai.

Even as he scoffed at the idea of bending to anything his elder brother wanted of him, he understood that it might be better for him in the long run if he at least made an attempt to occasionally give in. It wasn't like the control issue was going to go away any time soon. But maybe, if he could at least PRETEND to give in on occasion, it would make his life with his new mate easier.

He knew that his demon side would go along with this wholeheartedly, but his human side would fight it. After all, he had spent almost his entire life fighting for his very survival against everything. He had learned to rely on himself and not look to others for things. He had learned that he couldn't do it anyone else's way, he had to do it his own way.

But he had also found that he was tired of living like this. He was quickly getting to the point where he was considering just giving up on it entirely. The fact that he now had a mate was part of that. As a mate, he would have to rely on someone else. He would have to be responsible for someone else. He would no longer be able to live in his own little universe.

Even if he had been the alpha mate, his entire life still would have changed. At the very least, he would have had yet another individual he was answerable for, another person that would look to him for protection. He wasn't even full-grown yet. There was no reason for him to already have so many counting on him for their very lives and yet, he did.

He was just so tired of being in charge of people. Before he had been sealed to the tree, he had only been responsible for himself. He had not had to worry about what was going on with anyone else. He didn't have to think ahead to where they were going to sleep, what they were going to eat, if they should go right through or travel around various obstacles, or worry when he was in battle that one of his group was going to get hurt.

He loved being with his friends, but they could really be a hassle some times. However, now there was another problem. Now that he was Sesshoumaru's mate, he could not just go off. His demon side made him incapable of disobeying a direct order from his alpha mate and he was sure that Sesshoumaru would not allow him to go back to his group.

But, despite his concerns for the safety of the entire group, he was finding himself more worried for Shippo than for the rest of them. Shippo was not like they were. He was a child, and a demon child at that. Shippo could not be allowed to be raised by humans without him present to at least temper it a bit. He would grow up too soft and get killed well before he reached adolescence. Even with him there that was a very real possibility. Without his presence, he shuddered to think of it.

No, Shippo would not be allowed to stay with them if Inuyasha was not going to be there. He would just have to inform his mate that they were going to be coming into possession of a kitsune soon. He was sure Shippo and Rin would get along wonderfully. They certainly both seemed to laugh enough.

But if he was going to keep the kitsune with him, he was going to need to put some more effort into his training. The level Shippo was currently at was ridiculously low. At the very least, Shippo should be able to track, and he knew that the kitsune was only passable on that skill. No, he would have to sit down with Shippo and lay down the rules.

He briefly considered what to do if the kitsune wanted to stay with Kagome instead, but pushed that thought aside. Shippo was not yet old enough to make those types of decisions on his own and, as the alpha male in their group, Inuyasha's decision would be final. He just hoped the kitsune wouldn't hate him for it.

Glad that he had reached at least some conclusion out of this whole mess, Inuyasha glanced once more at the fighting going on outside his cell. They were both still going strong. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, at least one part of his mind might as well get some rest.

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Confused? That whole thing was inside Inuyasha's head, while he's unconscious. We were listening to the 'middle man', the one that is the 'normal' Inuyasha while his human and demon sides were fighting out dominance issues. Hope that makes a little more sense.

Thank you for reading and/or reviewing. I love both.


	41. On Their Way

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except Sturaki, the healer (Yoshehana (once again, I apologize in advance if I completely screwed up this name, I just like how it sounds better this way)), and Kisho

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Chapter 40: On Their Way

The healer had been in her study once again pouring through her books when the news came to her. Not only had the wolf demon healer responded to her plea, he had come out here himself to assist. Just that morning, she had been in the room with her lord and his mate and there had been no improvement.

She had been feeling rather helpless, but with this fantastic news, she found herself almost skipping like she was a very young demoness again. However, despite her excitement and joy, she still remembered her manners. This was one of the oldest healers that was still alive.

In all honesty, she was a little shocked that he had come at all. The dog demons and wolf demons had never been on especially good terms. In fact, had Lord Sesshoumaru been in any condition to do so, she had no doubt he would have forbidden her to ask him for assistance. But, she would deal with the fallout after her lord's mate was better. She would rather him have a healthy mate and slightly bruised ego than a dead mate, after all.

As she reached the panel leading to the main hall, she slowed herself down to a more respectable pace. For, while she had been able to restrain herself from skipping, she had not been able to keep herself from hurrying. Walking into the room, she took in the elderly demon in front of her. He had flashing blue eyes and silver hair. But, despite what must be his immense age, he still carried himself with an ease of movement.

Stopping in front of the older youkai, she bowed and said, "Welcome to the Western Castle, healer. I am Lord Sesshoumaru's healer, Yoshehana. Thank you for answering my request so promptly."

The wolf demon healer returned the bow saying, "Greetings, Healer Yoshehana. I am called Kisho. When I heard of the nature of your trouble, I could not help but respond. Tell me, is it true that a male inuhanyou has gained the ability to bear pups?"

Yoshehana could see the intense interest sparking in the depths of his eyes and could barely contain a smile. 'So, THAT is why he came so quickly.' "Yes, it is. And am I right in believing that you have assisted male wolf demons in giving birth?"

"Over these long years, I have done many things. One of these has been to assist in births for male wolf demons."

With a nod, Yoshehana directed the Healer Kisho to follow her as she led him up to her lord's sleeping room. With a warning that her lord had a bit of a temper and to be wary of it, which was promptly brushed aside by the elderly demon, she slid open the panel and allowed him inside.

She watched him confidently walk over to the mates who were in the same position that they had been in when she had checked on them this morning. "Lord Sesshoumaru, my name is Healer Kisho and I am here to assist your mate," he said, looking to the youkai lord expectantly.

"Healer Kisho?" she began.

"Not now, Healer Yoshehana, I am talking to your lord," he interrupted, still waiting for a response from the dog demon. After a minute more, during which she just stood there, waiting for him to realize that he was not going to get any response from her lord, he finally turned to her and asked, "Why is he not answering me?"

She tried to keep the superior look off her face but was unsure if she completely succeeded as she answered his query, "He is in a trance to better facilitate feeding his youki into his mate."

At this, he adopted a very confused look. "Excuse me, what did you just say?"

"He will not answer you because he is in a trance."

"No, not that. The part about him feeding his youki into his mate. What was that about?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru has been strengthening the weakened youki of his mate with his own youki for over a week now. It had not initially been enough for it to harm Lord Sesshoumaru in any way, but it is now beginning to drain on his youki as well."

"I'm afraid I don't understand. Why was there a need to support the mate's youki in the first place? It never should have reached such critical levels through merely gaining the ability to bear pups."

"You mean that gaining this ability did not expend youki in the wolf demons?"

"Of course it expended youki! But it was never enough that there was a need for external support. If there had been, they all would have died. Not every youkai who is going through this transformation has the luxury of being fully claimed by their mate."

"But Lord Inuyasha has not been fully claimed, Healer Kisho."

"Of course he has. Are you blind? Even these old eyes of mine can see how they are bound together."

"But Lord Sesshoumaru said he had only just laid the first claim a week ago and the second claim the day after."

"Then that dog lied to you. There is no way this claim is only a week old."

"Watch your tongue! Lord Sesshoumaru does not lie. He especially would not have lied about something as important as that. Besides, do you think I am a fool? I can tell when a demon is claimed and I would swear on my life that before a week ago, there was no claim on my lord."

"But how can that be? The bond is much too strong for it to be such a young union."

"I do not know myself. It is one reason I was so concerned that Lord Inuyasha was able to draw power off of Lord Sesshoumaru's youki. I had not thought it to be possible, but my lord insists his mate has been doing this since before the first claim was laid."

"Since BEFORE the first claim?"

"Yes. Do you have any idea what this might mean, Healer Kisho?"

"Honestly, I have no idea, Healer Yoshehana. Allow me to look at the hanyou and I might have a better idea if I can help."

"Oh, yes, of course. Please do," she said, stepping back to allow him his space. She watched him perform a visual inspection and then revert to a mental inspection much as she herself had done twice daily since this had begun.

However, whereas she had stopped at that point, unable to find anything else for her to do to help the situation, he reached out to touch her lord's mate after completing the mental survey. She had not been sure what to expect with this action, but she had not been expecting her lord to begin to growl as soon as he touched Lord Inuyasha.

It was obviously a growl of warning and it held a great deal of threat behind it. Had it been her, she would have immediately pulled back and apologized to her lord for having been so bold. But, apparently, this wolf healer was not of the same mind as her for instead of heeding the warning, he rumbled a growl back at the youkai lord. She was not sure what was said in that growl, but it seemed to soothe the youkai. It was times like this she wished she were a demon from the canine family as well.

As she watched the wolf demon physically manipulate the hanyou to look for something she was not aware of, she noticed that the rumbling growl never ceased. It only changed pitch and tone occasionally, telling the youkai lord what he was doing to his mate, she assumed.

Watching this interaction, she came to the conclusion that it was a good thing that she had brought this healer to help. For, even if he knew nothing more of the circumstances and how to assist in curing her lord's ailing mate, he seemed to be able to reach her lord even in his deepest trances. That would make the job of keeping her lord fed much easier on her.

When he pulled away from the mates, he walked back over to her. "Lord Sesshoumaru was unaware of how much time had passed. He did realize he was getting weaker but he refuses to cease his efforts. I convinced him to eat something, however."

"And Lord Inuyasha?"

"I am unsure what is wrong with him. He has already completed the transformation needed to bear pups. He should no longer be losing youki for that purpose. There must be something else that is drawing the youki off. Although, what that might be, I have no idea. It does explain why he was in need of the assistance though."

"How is that?"

"It's obvious. At the same time the change was drawing on his youki, so was something else. It is possible he could have handled one or the other, but not both at the same time."

"Ah, I see. So there is nothing more you can suggest?"

"Not at present. I have brought all the records I have in my possession dealing with the wolf demons who gained the ability to bear pups. With any luck, there will be something in there that will help."

"Might I ask to see these records as well, Healer Kisho?"

"Of course, Healer Yoshehana. I merely need to retrieve them from my transport."

"I am sure the servants have already done that, Healer. In fact, I do believe I know where you shall be staying while you are here. If you would like, I can show you to there now."

"Thank you, Healer."

With that, she led him back to what would be his room while he was here, hoping that she might be able to find some way to assist her lord in the records this demon had brought with him.

Sturaki's Dwelling

Sturaki had been having disturbing dreams for the last few days. Her senses had been going haywire since the day after the Lords of the West had left. She was having difficulty interpreting the information it was trying to send to her. Not only that, but she could not seem to reach Inuyasha in his dreams.

It was as if she was being blocked out. She knew that he had the power to do so, but had not really expected it of him so soon, especially not when his youki should have been firmly in control of his unconscious actions. As such, she felt she was left with no choice but to use her powers to see the inuhanyou's physical self.

Using those particular powers of hers was something she did not do often. It was very difficult for her to regulate just how much of her power she used and there was the risk that if she used too much, she would die. But, with not being able to contact him in any other way, she set about putting the spell into motion.

After gathering the needed ingredients and combining them, she looked through the reddish mist that formed over the bowl. In the mist, she could see the figures of both Lords of the West. It appeared that Inuyasha was unconscious on a futon while Lord Sesshoumaru was trying to strengthen his youki through sheer force of will.

Raising a brow at the apparent change in the youkai lord's attitude toward the hanyou, she felt another presence enter the room she was observing. Mentally pulling back the picture that she was seeing, she looked around the room and found a tall, willowy woman with a face covered in subtle black markings who appeared to be in her thirties. At least, she would have if she had been human. But it only took one glance to tell that this was a youkai she was looking at, a swan demoness, to be precise.

She took in the flowing white locks that went to the youkai's waist and the obsidian eyes on the delicate face which showed a great wisdom and she knew that this being was much older than she appeared. Looking over the rather utilitarian garb, Sturaki knew that this was a healer, most likely the one that had been sent to try and help Inuyasha.

She sighed at Lord Sesshoumaru's naiveté. To think that a normal healer could assist Inuyasha in this was ludicrous. A normal healer would not even know where to start with the inuhanyou, especially not with the rapid decrease in youki. With a sigh, she realized she would have to leave her dwelling and go to them for she knew that Lord Sesshoumaru would never even consider coming to her.

Allowing the smoke to dissipate into the room, Sturaki gathered what she would need for this trip and set about putting her belongings in order for while she was gone. It was not until she had walked to her doorway, ready to leave, that she noticed there were people on the ledge that housed her home.

Staying behind her barrier, she watched the people on the other side go through what was obviously a rather well-ingrained morning routine and wondered why they were gracing her doorstep. It was not until one of the females turned in her direction that she realized who this group must be.

The female standing before her in the long-sleeved white shirt and short green skirt had the face of one who had haunted many of the hanyou's dreams. These must be his pack. Scanning the members of the party, she took in another two humans and two demons.

Knowing that Inuyasha would not have told them where he was going before he left, she had to admit to some measure of amazement that they had managed to follow him all the way here. The scent in this area was days old and, unlike in the forests, the rock of this mountain did not hold onto a scent well.

Sturaki briefly considered not having anything to do with the group, but decided against it. For one thing, they were Inuyasha's pack and, as such, were possibly more involved in this than even she was. Besides, she knew from looking into Inuyasha's mind that they were good warriors, for humans. She would be the first to admit that, even though she had great skill in seeing things, she had little skill in physical combat and, being that it was currently mating season, she did not want to risk it.

Her decision being reached, Sturaki stepped out from her barrier and onto the ledge. She watched in mild amusement as every person in the party immediately took on a defensive posture. Inuyasha had chosen his pack well. She took a step towards them and with a hand raised in a calming gesture, she said, "Peace, children. I am not going to harm you."

When this did nothing to relax their postures, not that she had really thought it would, she continued, "I know of whom you seek."

"Who are you?" asked the girl in the green skirt, suspicion evident in her voice.

Sturaki turned and focused her attention on her. 'Kagome' suddenly popped into her head. Through many years of practice, she showed no visible sign that she had suddenly come into possession of a name she had never heard before a moment previously. "My name is Sturaki. I am the witch who has taken up residence in the cave you decided to camp in front of, Kagome."

"How-how do you know my name?" Kagome asked, taking a step back and sounding scandalized.

"I know much more than just your name, child. I know you are not from here. I know you are a priestess, but have not been properly trained. I also know that you seek the inuhanyou, Inuyasha," Sturaki said, telling the girl standing in front of her the facts about herself that came to her as she continued to focus on her.

She watched the eyes of the entire party widen and get more defensive, but she kept her eyes on the girl in the unusual clothes. More things were coming to her the longer she watched her and not all of them were good. The most disturbing thing that she was made aware of was that this child truly believed that she loved Inuyasha as a mate would.

Sturaki mentally shook her head at the foolishness of youth. This girl-child before her had no idea what was involved in the kind of love that existed between mates. To think that what she felt for the hanyou was even approaching it was laughable. But, she was still very young, there was hope that she would eventually learn the errors in her ways and find her real love elsewhere.

However, for the moment, the very presence of this emotion was making Sturaki rethink if she actually wanted to travel with the group. She knew that when they arrived at the castle, it would not be to a good scene. She also knew that the mating bond itself was most likely what was causing the problems in Inuyasha, but having this girl there with her misguided feelings, that might be too much for even the inuhanyou to take.

She knew that he was strong. He had to be to survive what he had, but she also knew that he had been deprived of affection for a very long time. If his mate was not willing to give it to him, he might seek it from another source which would only worsen the mating bond and cause more problems.

With a sigh, she brought her attention back to the group in front of her. The monk stepped forward, "Are you a seer, Lady Sturaki?"

She turned to him and was instantly given a name, 'Miroku', followed a second later by an impression of lechery. "That I am, Miroku. And, might I suggest, you keep your hands to yourself."

She laughed when he had the good grace to blush and then stutter, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about! I am a humble servant of the cloth!"

"So you say, monk, so you say. Well, shall we go then?"

"Wait a second, witch," said the demon slayer.

Turning to her, she was given the name 'Sango', "Yes, Sango? What is it?"

"How do we know you can be trusted? How do we know you're not working for Naraku?"

"Naraku?" at the name, her lip curled. "Why should I work for that vile being? He has done so much damage in the short time he has been here. I would never assist the likes of him."

In her disgust at the very insinuation, she turned from the group and stormed off in the direction of the western palace. Perhaps it would be best for her to just go on her own. It was obvious that she had given those humans too much credit. However, she had not gotten far when she heard their footfalls racing to catch up with her.

The monk spoke first, "We are sorry, Lady Sturaki. But, you must understand, we have run into many that Naraku has turned to evil. Now, do I understand correctly that you know where Inuyasha is?"

"You said it yourself. I am a seer. If I did not know where that child was, I would not be much of a seer, now would I?" she asked, never breaking her stride.

"But do you know why he is with Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, but that is not my information to give. You must ask him yourselves when we get there. Now hurry, we don't have much time."

"What do you mean, we don't have much time?" the priestess asked in an almost hysterical voice.

Sparing her a brief glance, she merely replied, "You shall see," and continued on her way, knowing they would continue to follow her.

- - - - -

Well, that was kind of some Inuyasha/Sesshoumaru. Now you know the name of the healer and the Inuyasha gang is on the way to the castle with Sturaki.

Thanks again for reading and/or reviewing.


	42. Connected by Blood

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

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Chapter 41: Connected by Blood

After talking to Inuyasha, Myouga was hopping along towards Totosai. The old sword-smith was one of his best friends and had been a good acquaintance of the late dog general. If there was someone who might be able to help him assist his master, it would most likely be him.

What Lord Inuyasha had told him disturbed him to a great extent. First there was the fact that he was gaining the ability to bear pups. He had no idea how to aid his master in such a feat, not that anyone really did to his knowledge. He sighed, his lord's already difficult life was about to become even more so.

And if that was not bothersome enough, there was the fact that his youki was apparently calling out to his own elder brother. That Lord Sesshoumaru's youki had been calling right back to his master's youki was even more disconcerting and inexplicable. To the extent of the flea's knowledge, the older brother had always hated the younger brother.

Myouga could remember talking to their father about his concerns over the murderous intentions that his eldest seemed to be harboring towards his younger brother even before he was born. His late master had acknowledged the concerns while not taking them quite as seriously as Myouga had thought they should be taken.

It had seemed that the great dog general was not as worried as he was. Maybe it was that he did not take the threats seriously, but Myouga thought it was much more likely that he was trying not to think about them. He had many other problems to deal with at the time, after all.

Be that as it may, while it was certainly not unheard of for siblings, especially in the royal clans, to mate with one another, it was a little odd for the mating to be between two individuals who, by all accounts, hated and were actively trying to kill each other.

Then again, he supposed that if either of them had honestly wished for the other one's death, one of them would be dead by now. The games they played with one another were certainly deadly enough. Although he supposed there was always the possibility that they had both only escaped death through a series of flukes. There had been an awful lot of near misses, in any case.

But his main concern at the moment was for his master's well-being. Since he could taste the change in his master's blood, he was going to the one person who might just know more about that blood than he did. After all, in the forging of the swords Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga, Totosai had become relatively intimately acquainted with the blood and power present in the father as well as his sons. He might be aware of something that Myouga was not.

And it was because of the change in the taste of Lord Inuyasha's blood that Myouga was concerned. What if this alteration was not only significant of gaining the ability to bear pups but also of something far more sinister? What if there was a spell on him? What if that was why the attitude of his master had taken such a drastic turn?

However, even as he thought this, there was something else in the back of his mind. His lord had never, in the entire time he had known him, shown any interest whatsoever in mating. He had talked of marrying Kikyo, but not mating her. He had not even mentioned mating or marrying the Lady Kagome, although Myouga knew the idea had occurred to him.

Which was not to say that Lord Inuyasha was not receptive to potential mates. He had made sure that, if nothing else, his master knew to be open to potential mates. But, it had never made any difference. His master's youki had never called out to any other demon or demoness in all the years he had known him.

Whenever he had expressed unease about this in the past, he had either been brushed aside or told that no one would want to mate with a half-demon. Since he knew that this was not the case, as he had seen young demonesses try to ensnare his equally young master, he just took it to mean that Lord Inuyasha was not interested in any of them.

If he was now interested in Lord Sesshoumaru, that might explain part of it. More so because Lord Sesshoumaru was interested in him. With his knowledge that Lord Sesshoumaru only had one possible mate, it would stand to reason in his mind that it would also mean that his one possible mate would only have one possible mate as well. For, if his only possible mate ended up with another demon or demoness, that would leave Lord Sesshoumaru with no mate at all.

The whole thing was very confusing, but it did explain the oddities that had been present in his master's youki for as long as he had known him. The way there was always a flare of power when he was in the presence of his elder brother, for instance. In the past, Myouga had written it off to being the rush of hate that filled his master, but what if he was wrong?

What if the flare was caused not by hate, but by his youki trying to call out to his future mate's youki, even across the battlefield? If that was the case, their father would certainly have been angry with him for never noticing it before. It was his job to look after his youngest and if he had not even been able to notice such a simple thing as his master's youki calling out to his future mate, what did that say about him as a servant?

Putting his musings to the side, he sighed in relief as he finally reached the cave that was Totosai's current dwelling. It had been a long journey due mainly to the fact that no bird wanted to fly out over the fire fields that his old friend preferred for his home. He could hear the sounds of the elderly demon at work and quickened his pace, looking forward to a free meal.

Not that he preferred Totosai's blood. No, he had a much greater preference for the royal blood that flowed through his master's veins. It was much sweeter and fuller in flavor than the blood he normally found, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Besides, he had drunk much worse blood than the sword-smith's before.

Seeing that Totosai was otherwise occupied, Myouga jumped lightly onto his friend's back and began to suck blood out of his shoulder as quickly as possible. Being a flea, he knew that he would get swatted within moments of beginning his meal, so he made sure to drink as much as he could, as rapidly as he could.

When the expected swat came, he merely floated to the ground and then reanimated, turning to his friend. "Totosai, it has been a long time."

"Myouga? Is that you? What brings you here?"

"Yes, Totosai, it is I. I have a question for you about Master Inuyasha and Lord Sesshoumaru."

"Who?"

"The Master's sons," Myouga calmly clarified. It always paid to be patient when dealing with Totosai.

"Why would I have anything to do with those insolent pups?" he asked in a normal voice before mumbling, "Trying to kill and threaten an old man. If The Master were still alive, he would have a thing or two to say to them."

"Yes, well, something very interesting has happened."

He now had the old demon's full attention, "Oh?"

"Master Inuyasha has recently gained the ability to bear pups."

"Bear pups? That's not right. If I recall correctly, the younger child was a male as well." Totosai then looked off into the distance contemplatively, "Although, I suppose I could have been wrong. But it sure looked like a male to me."

"Totosai!" Myouga called, bringing the attention back to him.

"Oh, hello, Myouga. What are you doing here?"

Holding in a sigh, Myouga reiterated what he had just said. "I was just telling you that Lord Inuyasha has gained the ability to bear pups and it now appears that his youki is interested in Lord Sesshoumaru for a mate."

"Lord Sesshoumaru? Really?" the sword-smith asked with great interest.

"Yes, I don't know how this happened. The Master would have been so displeased," Myouga shook his head, wrought with anxiety.

He was so caught up in thinking of the anger that his previous master would have felt, that he didn't notice the thoughtful look come onto his old friend's face. "I don't know that I would say that, Myouga."

Myouga looked to the sword-smith with new hope. Did he know something Myouga didn't? "You don't think so, Totosai?"

He watched his old friend blink at him in confusion again. "Don't think what?"

"You don't think that The Master would be upset with his sons mating one another?"

"Why would he be? Siblings mate each other all the time."

"Yes, but they normally don't hate each other."

"Who don't hate each other?"

"The siblings who are mating."

"Ah, yes, well, there is that. Don't see why it would actually be a problem for them though," he said, looking confused and scratching his head.

Myouga looked at his old friend curiously. Were they talking about the same people? Maybe he better clarify again. "Totosai, we are talking about Lord Sesshoumaru and Master Inuyasha. They hate each other. They have been trying to kill each other for as long as I can remember."

"Exactly."

"Exactly, what?"

"They have been trying to kill one another for as long as you can remember."

Myouga was beginning to get a little exasperated. "Yes, Totosai, I know that. That's how I know they hate each other."

"No, no, no. That's how you know they DON'T hate each other," Totosai responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Totosai, that doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it does, Myouga. If they really hated each other, they wouldn't be trying to kill each other, one of them would be dead. They're both alive, so they don't really hate each other."

Myouga had never thought of it that way. He had always just assumed that their constant death threats and insistences that they hated one another really meant that they hated one another. They certainly put on a rather impressive show if that was not the case.

While Myouga was wondering, Totosai continued to think aloud as he was wont to do, "Quite strange really. You would think that Lord Sesshoumaru would like nothing better than to kill his hanyou brother. Must be the blood connection."

"Blood connection?"

"Hmm?" asked the sword-smith, whose mind appeared to have once again wandered off the topic at hand.

"You mentioned a blood connection between The Master's sons, Totosai," the flea demon patiently reminded him.

"So I did, so I did."

Myouga turned on his old friend and asked him accusingly, "Why is this the first I'm hearing of a blood connection?"

"I didn't already tell you?" Totosai asked, scratching his head. "Hmm, I thought I had."

"Totosai, what is this blood connection between Master Inuyasha and Lord Sesshoumaru?" Now that he could feel an answer coming nearer, Myouga was beginning to get more excited. Maybe this was something he could use to help his master.

"It's quite simple, really. When The Master first asked me to forge his swords for him, he had a premonition that he would not be long in this world. He knew that when he died, there would be no one to protect his as yet unborn child.

"In order to ensure at least partial protection for him, he had me use Lord Sesshoumaru's blood in the forging of the Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. When I reforged the Tetsusaiga with Lord Inuyasha's fang, his blood was added to the mix."

Myouga was used to having to pull information out of his old friend, but he had to admit that in his brief moments of clarity, there was much information to be gained. If only one could determine what that information was.

The flea had to acknowledge, listening to the explanation, that it was a mark of brilliance on The Master's part. In using Lord Sesshoumaru's blood in the forging of the swords, it ensured that even though his eldest hated the soon to be coming child with all his being, he would not be able to kill him in most instances.

While the Tetsusaiga was still inside Lord Inuyasha, Lord Sesshoumaru's youki would acknowledge that the hanyou held his own blood inside him. As such, it would be against fatally attacking except in the most extreme of circumstances. The fact that it was a pup instead of a full-grown hanyou would only reinforce the desire to protect instead of kill in the elder youkai's mind.

Then, after the Tetsusaiga was removed, there would still most likely be the mark of Lord Sesshoumaru's blood on him due to the arm that was left behind in his eye and the residual aura left from having been exposed to his blood through Tetsusaiga for such a long time.

The fact that he was positive neither of them were aware of this only added to the genius of the idea. If he had known what his father had intended to do, there was no doubt in the flea demon's mind that Lord Sesshoumaru would have forcibly overcome his inhibitions and killed his half-brother on the spot. However, because he did not know what was causing these feelings, he most likely wrote them off as being caused by something else.

It was a rather amusing set of circumstances. To think that two beings who were so disparate could be drawn together, even bound to one another with something as simple as a sword…

Wait.

Hadn't Master Inuyasha said that his and Lord Sesshoumaru's youkis were being drawn to one another? In fact, if he remembered correctly, that was what he was basing his entire decision to mate with his elder brother on. What if the call of their youkis to one another was nothing more than a reaction to their blood having been mixed in the Tetsusaiga?

Oh, no. He had to get to Lord Inuyasha right away. What if he did something irrevocable before he had all the information?

With a quick goodbye and thank you to his old friend, he hopped out of the cave and through the fire fields. He then made his way to the Western castle, sure that this would be their final destination as quickly as possible. With any luck, he would not arrive too late.

- - - - -

So, Myouga's also going to the castle. How many people does that make now? Sorry about another Inu/Sess light chapter. They are both much more heavily in the next one.

Thanks again to all who read and/or review.


	43. Witch Way

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 42: Witch Way

It had taken them another four days to reach the Western Castle. Over that time, Sturaki had been reminded repeatedly of why she was not overly fond of humans. They talked entirely too much. She had begun to regret her decision to travel with them a day after she had made it.

They had spent the entire morning buffeting her with questions, hoping she would tell them something. She could understand their worry and desire to know what was going on, but it was not her place to explain. Although, the questions were almost easier to take than the inane conversations they started up after it became obvious they were not going to get any information out of her.

She wondered if this was how they always were and, if it was, how Inuyasha could stand it. But, for all her annoyance with them, she did recognize one thing of import. They were all essentially good people. They wanted to help. They wanted to do something. Which, in this time, was a very difficult thing to come across.

She supposed that might be the reason Inuyasha was so fond of them. Because she also knew that Inuyasha himself was an essentially good person. Putting aside how he had been treated due to his parentage, he still tried to help those who needed it. And she also knew that these were the people who had accepted him for what he was. There was much to be said for that.

However, for the seer who was used to spending almost all her time alone, this group was still a bit much. She had been thankful when they had seen the top of the Western Castle's tower over the tree line. The rest of the group had not realized what it was immediately, but when the trees had cleared, it became obvious.

Before they left the safety of the forest to venture up to the guarded castle walls, Sturaki turned to the group one more time and reminded them to allow her to do the talking. They had had this discussion last night over dinner, but she felt it was best to reiterate. After all, she had not gotten their consent without protest.

She looked to Kagome in particular. That girl had been the most adamant in not wanting to stand silently by while she talked their way into the castle. It was not until she had threatened to leave them entirely while they slept that the girl had given in.

The humans just could not understand why it was so important that she be the only one talking. Sturaki wondered how they ever got anything accomplished if they were always all talking, but put it to the side. She now had to gain them entrance before she could help Inuyasha.

Straightening herself up to her full height, which she knew was not all that impressive, she confidently walked up towards the gates until she was told to stop by the 2 guards. One looked to be there for brute force since he was taller than the tallest man she had ever seen and was covered in muscles. If he was the brawn, then the other must have been the brains, for the second was not overly muscular, but rather lithe in form and looked to be quite agile.

"Who are you and what business do you have here?" the particularly large guard demanded.

"I am the Lady Sturaki and I wish to speak to your healer."

"No one in your party appears injured. What need have you for our healer?"

"Quite the contrary. I am here to help your healer, not ask for her assistance."

"Explain yourself."

"Your Lord has fallen ill, has he not? I know what ails him."

She saw the two guards look to one another, silently communicating, before turning back to her. "And how do we know that you speak the truth?" the more lithe guard asked.

"I merely ask to speak to your healer. Allow her to determine if I speak the truth. For, if I am not lying, how would it look that you turned away the one who knew how to cure your Lord?"

Sturaki could see that those words made an impression on them. "Very well, we shall retrieve our healer and see if she believes your tale has merit. If she is not impressed, however, your life will be forfeit."

She bowed her head, "I understand," and waited patiently for them to bring the healer out to see her.

As they were waiting, she could feel the party behind her begin to get restless. No doubt they were wondering what she had meant when she had said the lord was ill. They had, after all, assumed it was Inuyasha who was in trouble and were undoubtedly wondering why they were here to help Sesshoumaru.

But she had no time for further contemplation when, at that moment, the swan demoness healer who she had seen earlier came to the gates along with a wolf demon she had not seen previously.

She bowed to them and introduced herself once again. The swan demoness looked her over shrewdly before asking, "What do you know of my Lord's illness, Lady Sturaki? I note that you do not wear the garb of a healer."

"Indeed, I am not a healer, Healer Yoshehana. I am instead a seer," she replied, taking in the shocked look on the demoness' face.

"Of what help could a seer be to my Lord?"

"I have seen what ails your Lord and his young mate. I have also seen what may be done to cure them of this ailment."

The wolf demon then stepped forward. "How is it you are aware of how to cure the ailment having never seen either patient?"

"As I have said before, I am a seer. I can see much that is unknown to the naked eye. But in this instance, I have also seen both patients previously."

She saw the swan demoness perk up at that. "So you know my Lord?"

"I know Lord Sesshoumaru quite well, yes. In fact, I just saw him a little over a week ago. There was an issue with who his mate was to be that he wished to have cleared up."

"If you only saw him a little over a week ago, surely you were aware of the youki draw. Why did you not assist him then?"

"I was indeed aware of the draw, but it was not so desperate at the time. I did not assist him in the matter for, if he had done as he was supposed to, there never would have been a problem in the first place."

"What do you mean?" asked the wolf demon, suspiciously.

"I mean that the transformation was almost complete when they left my dwelling. It would have ceased drawing youki that very night. The mating should have ceased any continued draw in any event, and yet, it is still being drawn.

"An external force is obviously drawing it now and because he is still unconscious, it is obvious that it is now a problem with the mind rather than the body. You may both have specializations with the body, but I have a specialization with the mind.

"Now, please, allow me to see them before there is any more damage done."

The demoness thought for a moment. "Very well, we shall see if your claim has any merit. But what of the others with you?"

"They are friends of Lord Inuyasha. They were concerned when he did not return to them at the appointed time," Sturaki improvised.

She saw the swan demoness' eyes widen. "I see. Any friend of Lord Inuyasha is welcome here. Please come in, even though you may not see your friend at the moment, I can still have the servants get you something to eat. It is approaching lunch time in any event. Perhaps you would like to join my Lord's ward for this meal?"

Feeling the shock of the humans standing behind her, they had no doubt been expecting a less than warm reception, she answered for them all. "Yes, we would greatly appreciate it. However, if it is not too much of an inconvenience, I would much prefer to see to your ailing lord and his mate first while they partake in your generosity."

"Of course, Lady Sturaki. Right this way," said Yoshehana as she turned around and led them through the gates that lead into the castle. Upon entering the main part of the castle, the swan demoness directed the humans to the appropriate room to receive their meal before turning and taking Sturaki to the place where she had been heading for the last four days.

"In truth, Lady Sturaki, I am glad you are here. Neither myself nor Healer Kisho has been able to determine the cause or possible cure for my lord's mate's ailment.

"If I might ask, you said you already knew what the problem was. What is it that ails my lord's mate?" asked Yoshehana.

"Even I am not entirely sure, I can only see what my sight shows me and since a week ago, it has been dark in relation to Lord Inuyasha. It is why I determined that I had need to come see him.

"I must see him directly so that I may form a mental bond with him and assist him in repairing the problem from the inside out," replied Sturaki.

"I understand," the demoness replied, leading her towards Lord Sesshoumaru's chambers.

The wolf demon had been following behind silently. She could still feel his eyes on her and knew that he did not trust her yet, but had no reason to actually distrust her so was currently holding his peace.

She could tell that there was nothing she could do to convince him that she intended no harm and so, she just continued on her way, mindful of his unspoken presence. As she neared the room that held the dog demons, she could feel the desperation in the air. Any hope for a favorable resolution to this seemingly never-ending sickness had all but fled.

Walking through the doorway that had been slid open, she walked over to the demons on the floor, taking in the scene silently. Inuyasha was lying on the futon as he had been in her dream, unconscious and completely still. It was disconcerting to see the normally active inuhanyou so motionless.

Although, perhaps even more disturbing than that was the sight of Sesshoumaru. He was kneeling next to his mate, his hand on the inuhanyou's chest, eyes closed in deep concentration. Even without trying to, she could feel how weak both their youkis were and how exhausted the youkai lord was.

She had arrived none to soon, she realized with a sigh. She certainly had her work cut out for her.

(Sesshoumaru's POV)

He had been there for days. His youki had long since taken over all conscious functions. He had not felt the passage of time, but that wolf demon had insisted it had been over a week. Having no real reason to doubt him, Sesshoumaru had instead decided to believe his words, at least until there was evidence to the contrary.

He had been none to happy about this demon touching his mate, but after the significance for it had been explained, he had allowed the intrusion, albeit warily. When it was over and there was still no change for good he was upset, but there was no change for ill in his mate either for which he was relieved. He would have killed the demon had he harmed his mate.

He had almost killed the wolf anyway at the suggestion that he stop assisting his mate. As it was, he had agreed to eat something and the demon had left. Why they were so adamant about him eating was beyond him. His mate was in trouble, desperately in need of his help, and they wanted him to eat? How absurd.

He had only agreed to the eating for it kept them at bay with their bothersome noise. It seemed the quickest and easiest way to appease them was through eating every now and then and so he did. If he had been more aware of what was happening, he would have wondered at why they were not insisting on feeding his mate as well, but he was lost in his own world and his youki was insisting that the lowered youki of his mate was a much more immediate problem than whether he had eaten recently.

As it was, he did not notice her presence until she was right on top of them. As he felt the touch on his shoulder, he responded with a growl. She, in turn, ignored the warning and, leaving the hand there, began to speak to him.

The words came to him as if through a very dense fog. His youki wished to ignore them in favor of the much more important task of looking after his mate, but his rational mind was curious as to what she was saying. Being that his youki had been getting weaker through helping his mate, he pushed said youki aside just enough to make out the words.

"…help you. Lord Sesshoumaru, you must come out of your trance. I know of a way to help your mate, Lord Sesshoumaru. You must come out of your trance so I may help you help your mate."

At this, he forcibly drew himself back to the real world. If it could help his mate, he had to know what it was. If it did not help him, he would kill whoever had forced him to take his attention off his mate.

He tried to focus on the beings before him, but it was proving difficult. His body was weary. His mind was weary. His youki was weary. It had been a long week. But, if he were to help his mate, he knew that he needed to center. So, drawing on reserves that he had not quite exhausted yet, he focused all his attention on the one who was talking.

"We will discuss how this happened later. However, right now I need you to stop feeding your youki into him."

Realizing what she was saying, he bared his fangs and snarled at her. "He is MY mate. He needs MY youki."

"Lord Sesshoumaru, if you do not allow me to see him without the influence of your youki, he will die."

"Without my youki, he will die!" This witch was obviously trying to trick him. She wanted him to let his guard down so she could kill his mate. He growled again and noted with satisfaction how the other two in the room backed away. However, this damnable woman refused to yield.

"Sesshoumaru! Calm yourself! I will not hurt Inuyasha! I will not hurt your mate! I am here to help him!"

The dog demon looked at her. She did not look like she was lying. She also did not smell like she was lying. And she did look vaguely familiar. He tried to think why that was for a moment but found his thoughts getting clouded once again. No matter how much he wished to deny it, he was in desperate need of rest.

He watched her move over to his mate and growled at her, but, once again, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder and told him that she merely needed to touch his mate. He assented to the touch, but continued to watch her. After a few moments, she pulled away and looked at him.

"I require your assistance. He will not let me in, but, since you are his mate, he should let you in. I must insist, however, that you do not FORCE your way in. Ask him to allow you in. Do not worry, I will be with you."

Sesshoumaru was perplexed. This entire conversation was making his head hurt. So she wanted him to go into his mate's THOUGHTS? That did not make any sense to him. One could not just enter another's thoughts.

His confusion must have shown on his face, for she took his hand in hers and placing it on his mate once again, told him, "Just close your eyes, Sesshoumaru. Focus on Inuyasha. Try to find him with your mind. Look for him, call out to him, let him know you are here."

And, her hand never leaving his, he finally became aware of a presence, a sensation that he was not previously aware of. He felt the manifestation and realized this was his mate. This was the very essence that was his mate that he was feeling. He could feel his own being sinking into the presence. It was so comforting to him.

But even as he was beginning to feel lethargic basking in the essence of his mate, he remembered why he was here and felt a push to find the consciousness of his mate. He somehow knew that it would be at the center of this presence. Following his instincts, he passed through the outer layers and into the center, being drawn to the feeling of his mate that was becoming stronger and stronger.

It was not until he was in the heart of his mate's being that he realized there was not one individual there. There were two. One appeared to be his mate in his full demon form, the other appeared to be his mate in his full human form. He had not even been in the core for a moment when both sets of eyes turned to him. One shining with love, adoration, and desire. The other burning with hate and malice.

Before he even fully comprehended what he saw in those eyes, he found himself being tightly held by a very submissive full-demon Inuyasha who was rubbing and licking and nipping at him all the while making happy subvocalizations. That, in addition to the scents that were currently being emitted by the full-youkai in his arms, was making it rather difficult to concentrate on anything else. He had missed his mate terribly.

Just as he was beginning to get comfortable in the grip of this half of his mate, he heard a scream come for the human Inuyasha who was rapidly approaching them, hate flashing in his eyes. "How dare you come here?" was demanded in a slightly higher pitched voice than the one he was used to hearing from his little brother.

The demon in his arms suddenly became less submissive as he turned to face the human who was still approaching them without fear. "He is our mate. He has every right to be here," answered the demon Inuyasha in a voice that was lower and more guttural than the one that his younger brother normally used.

"I do not accept him as my mate."

"He IS your mate. You bear his mark."

He saw a wicked grin appear on the human's face. "Look again, Demon, I do not bear his mark." At this, he turned and dropped his haori down low enough that it was obvious that he did not, in fact, bear the mark.

He felt his eyes widen fractionally in shock. How was that possible? He had never heard of only partially marking an individual. But before he could say anything, demon Inuyasha was responding. "How is it you do not bear his mark?"

"I have told you before, he is not my mate. He is not worthy of being my mate."

At these words, the demon who had been standing beside him released an enraged growl and flung himself at the human. Sesshoumaru just stood and watched them rip into one another, unsure of what to do. If this was all inside his mate's head, could the two sides actually hurt each other? The human side appeared to be holding its own against the demon side, however. Which made him wonder if his mate's human side was truly that physically strong or if it was just a manifestation of his human side's mental power.

He was pulled from his musings as another voice, one he was much more familiar with, broke into the melee. "What the fuck is wrong with you two! You have been at this for days! I swear to God, once I get out of this fucking cage, I'm gonna kick both your asses to the netherworld!"

He shifted his attention to the direction that the yelling was coming from and saw, much to his shock, his half-demon brother banging on what appeared to be an invisible barrier. Ignoring the other two who were still fighting, he turned to this version of Inuyasha. The demon and human might have been facets of him, but this one, this was his real mate. This was the brother he had known for so many years. This is the one that his youki had chosen to mate with.

Drawing closer to him, he unconsciously allowed one word to fall from his lips, "Inuyasha…"

- - - - -

Ooooo, evil cliffie strikes again! But we did get Inu and Sess in the same room together again. That's gotta count for something, right?

A/N: Regarding Sesshoumaru and OOCness: It has been over a week since the guy slept last. He has only been eating enough to get the healer off his case. And, on top of that, he has been feeding his youki into his mate night and day. I don't know about you, but I tend to get a little blurry after missing one night of sleep, not to mention several in a row. Given the circumstances, I'm not so sure you could really claim that he was out of character at all. And on the sentimentality issue, his youki still has its claws pretty far in him. Even if he won't admit desire for Inu, his youki sure will.

Thanks to all who are still reading and/or reviewing. (Can you believe how long this story is? 203 pages in Word. Yikes. Talk about a 'don't start reading if you have anything to do today' fic.)


	44. A Meeting of the Minds

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest, but, if you are in this section, you should already know that

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 43: A Meeting of the Minds

Inuyasha's hanyou self had been resting. There was nothing he could do at the moment being stuck inside the cage as he was, after all. He had been using the background noise of the two arguing sides of himself to lull him into sleep. There was something about the cadence of the higher and lower level voices that just helped him drift off.

He supposed that he should have found it disturbing that he found his two sides fighting with one another to be soothing, but at the moment, he couldn't have cared less. Besides, he was inside his own head, who would see him here?

However, he was woken abruptly when it suddenly turned physical. Even though they had been fighting with each other nonstop for days now, this was the first time they had resorted to anything other than verbal arguments. While it did not appear as if it was affecting either one of them, he was feeling the blows all too well.

It wasn't so much a physical ache as a mental ache, for the blows were not being exchanged to his physical body, but to his mind. He briefly wondered how much damage they would be able to do to him if they continued to do this before deciding he really didn't want to know. So, in an effort to stop this before it went too far, he determined to try and step in once again.

Considering his rather limited options given his current living situation, he settled upon yelling at them. Okay, so it wasn't so much yelling as threatening, but it was the same basic principle.

In practice, screaming at them while banging on the cell wall had a rather cathartic effect even though they both continued to pay no attention to him. In all honesty, he really was not surprised at this turn of events. They had been ignoring him for days now, after all. And, as he had expected, they continued to duke it out on the floor and completely disregard his existence. He was slightly curious as to what had given rise to this sudden change in tactics, but was about to put it aside and sit back down, seeing as there was really nothing more he could do from where he was, when he heard the last thing he expected to hear inside his own head: his brother's voice.

Looking over to the side in shock, he saw his elder brother walking towards him. "Se-Sesshoumaru? What are you doing here?"

He watched his brother tilt his head a little as if he was slightly confused on that count himself. "I have come to retrieve you."

"To retrieve me?" That made no sense to Inuyasha. The Sesshoumaru he knew would not care enough to try and retrieve him.

"Yes," his elder brother said, apparently becoming more sure of his purpose as time went by. "You have been gone a long time, mate."

"How long?" Inuyasha asked in curiosity. He had known it had been a while, but there was really no way to tell time in this part of his mind, he could have been here for months for all he knew. He mentally shuddered at the thought while he waited for his brother's response.

"Over a week."

"Damn, that's a long time," Inuyasha said softly, once again turning to his other selves. "Did you hear that, you idiots! You've been fighting for over a week! Come to a fucking compromise already!" True, it was not as long as it could have been, but it was still a pretty damn long time to be fighting over one issue.

Once again, they completely disregarded him, not that he had expected anything different. He saw his brother cock an eyebrow at him and realized how crazy he must look right now. Trying to save face he made an attempt at an explanation, "They're not normally like this, you know."

The eyebrow went up further. Inuyasha could feel his cheeks beginning to heat up as he continued speaking. "Well, they're not. Sure they disagree a lot, but this is the first time they've ever done THIS to me," he said, indicating the enclosure with a broad sweep of his hands. "Normally, they just let me know that they don't like something."

"Is that so," his brother's voice said in that smooth, emotionless way he had.

All that voice served to do was make Inuyasha feel even more foolish than he already did. He could feel his blush deepening under Sesshoumaru's cool stare. However, as often happened with his moods, the embarrassment changed itself to anger and obstinacy. He had not asked his brother to come in here. His brother had no right to stand there and judge him.

Tilting his head up in challenge, Inuyasha pushed aside all embarrassment. This was his own mind, he was allowed to have whatever he wanted in it and his older brother would just have to deal with it. It wasn't like he had asked him to come here in the first place, after all. Defiantly, he stated, "Yes it is. Although, I fail to see how it's any of your business."

"As the Lady Sturaki pointed out previously to you, little brother, the way that my mate's mind works is very much my business."

At this statement, Inuyasha looked at him contemplatively. Why was he bringing up that witch? His elder brother had wanted nothing to do with her or her ideas. And yet now he was saying that he should follow her advice? There was something a little off about this Sesshoumaru he was talking to, something that was not quite like his older brother. Then it hit him, this WASN'T his big brother, this was just his mind's image of him.

With that realization, Inuyasha could have slapped himself. Of course his brother hadn't come to rescue him. Why had he even thought that in the first place? The very idea was insane. Besides, hadn't this dream version of his brother already come to visit him once before?

Shaking his head in internal derision, Inuyasha relaxed considerably. He didn't have to worry about the impressions Sesshoumaru would be coming away from this with. After all, it wasn't really him. His real mate would have no knowledge of what went on in here.

Sitting back down, he came to the conclusion that he might as well pass the time with this figment of his mind's imagination. In any event, hadn't he been complaining about being bored? Apparently his mind had decided to conjure up this version of his mate to entertain him and who was he to argue with it. At least there was something else to do other than sleep.

With these thoughts in mind, he began to talk once again, "So you want to know the way my mind works? Where would you like me to start?"

He saw his dream brother's eyebrow raise at his change in attitude, then, apparently accepting it, his elder brother said, "Explain why they are fighting," motioning over to his two halves that were still at it.

Inuyasha let out half a laugh and with a gesture to the ground said, "You might want to sit, that's going to take a while to explain."

He watched the regal form of his dream mate look at him for a moment before deciding to take him up on his offer. With a grace Inuyasha was jealous of, his older brother lowered himself to the ground, never losing his majestic air.

After his elder brother was sitting on the ground outside his cell, he began to talk, "Well, you see, there are two sides to me. The demon side and the human side. Given how different demons and humans are, they don't agree very often on what should be done about damn near anything, right? That's why I was created.

"Since the two of them couldn't agree, they made me the one in charge of deciding who to go with when it came to various decisions. And, like I said before, they normally just tell me if they have a problem with my decision, not lock me up.

"But this time, this time, they didn't want me to make the decision. They didn't want me to mediate. They decided that they wanted to work this out between themselves and have been arguing ever since."

As he fell into silence, he saw a perplexed look enter this mental image of his mate's eyes. "But what are they fighting about?"

Inuyasha gave him a confused look right back. He had thought that was rather obvious. Apparently it was not. So, in answer to the question, he said, "They're fighting about you.

"Or, more specifically, about whether or not you should be my mate. I tried telling the human side that you already were my mate and he would just have to find a way to deal with it, but he didn't listen to me.

"Not that I'm really all that surprised, he tends to be rather obstinate. So does my demon side for that matter," Inuyasha said, with a self-deprecating smile.

"Your human side does not bear the mating mark," his dream brother informed him.

"Is that so? Stubborn ass. No wonder I've been having so many problems with him."

"This doesn't surprise you?"

"Not particularly," Inuyasha said with a shrug. "The whole mating was done on my demon side's instincts. My human side really had nothing to do with it. In fact, my human side has been wholeheartedly against this mating from the start."

"It has?" Sesshoumaru asked, almost looking concerned. "Why?"

"Well, you have been quite the bastard to me in the past, you know. Beating the shit out of me, trying to kill me, trying to kill my friends. Then there's the whole 'I am the high and mighty full demon while you are a lowly scum-sucking hanyou' thing to take into account. Not to mention that there is not a damn thing I could ever do that you would consider to be good enough.

"There's always something wrong with everything I do. I can't even be your mate right. Hell, I can't even put an appropriate mating mark on your back. And then there's the whole forcing you into this mating with me thing.

"Why do you think we're here right now? My demon side got pissed I wasn't being a good mate to you and my human side got pissed with what it saw as you asking for things that you did not deserve. And in all honesty, given our past, is it any wonder my human side doesn't like you?" Inuyasha stated all this in his matter-of-fact voice. This was nothing new for him, it was just the way things were.

"If I am so horrible, why did you become my mate?" If Inuyasha hadn't known any better, he would have thought his brother sounded a bit disturbed by what he was saying.

Pushing that thought aside as being completely ludicrous, he continued talking, "Honestly? My youki wanted your youki. Simple as that."

"So you are only my mate because your youki desired it?"

Now his dream brother sounded hurt. Looking closely at him, he realized that Sesshoumaru was refusing to meet his eyes. This didn't make any sense to him. Sesshoumaru only wanted him as a mate to get an heir. He had just figured that out recently. Why would it bother his brother if he only had his youki as motivation?

Unsure of the reception, Inuyasha tentatively asked, "Sesshoumaru? What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong with me, you filthy hanyou," his brother said, but the normal venom was not there. It sounded rather forced actually. Why were his words troubling the youkai so much? His elder brother should have been happy that he was not forming more of an emotional attachment to him, no matter what Inuyasha himself might actually want.

"Why are you so upset that the only reason I wanted to mate with you was because that's what my youki wanted? The only reason you wanted to mate with me was so you could have an heir."

When he received no response from his elder brother, he continued to talk, "Don't worry about it, I have no problem with giving you an heir, I'd just rather you not throw me out on my ass until after I've given birth, if you don't mind. It'll be rather hard protecting myself while I'm pregnant, you know."

As he finished talking, he watched his brother's eyes rise from the ground. Instead of the hurt that he had seen there before, this time he saw fierce anger. And instead of the forced voice he had heard before, the cold, clipped tone returned with an, "You are truly an idiot, little brother."

- - - - -

I realize this is a long time in coming. (Well, for me anyway.) But trust me, you did not want to read what I was writing like the last couple of weeks. Bland doesn't even begin to cover it. (I blame it on my eldest breaking her leg and lack of sleep.) That being said, I hope this didn't come off as being too blah.

As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing.


	45. For Want of a Loving Mate

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 44: For Want of a Loving Mate

Having left behind the two quarrelling halves of his mate's mind, Sesshoumaru focused in on the one that apparently represented the part of his mate that he normally dealt with. It certainly looked and sounded like him, after all.

He wondered in the back of his mind why he was not finding the idea of there being three sides to his mate more disturbing, but decided he did not have the brain power currently available to wonder about it. He still needed to find out what was wrong with his mate and correct it.

As he talked to the version of his mate that looked to be trapped behind a barrier, he found himself becoming even more confused than he had been initially. Why was it that his brother saw nothing abnormal about talking to different parts of himself?

If it had been his own mind, Sesshoumaru was sure that he would be worrying about losing his mind by this point, and yet, his little brother was shrugging the entire situation off as if it was no big deal. Not only that, he was acting like this was perfectly normal and he, Sesshoumaru, shouldn't even be questioning it.

Trying to come up with a question that would get him his answers, his weary mind stumbled upon something the witch had told him. His younger brother had seemed to take what she said to heart and so, he repeated a piece of her advice back to him. It had merely seemed like the thing to do at the time.

Sesshoumaru was unsure if he had said the wrong thing when his mate stopped suddenly and looked at him with measuring eyes. It was a new experience for the demon lord. He found himself feeling uncomfortable under the stare, although he was not sure why. He was almost feeling the urge to fidget but brushed that off as having been caused by lack of sleep in the real world.

He refused to admit even to himself how relieved he was when his little brother reached a decision and dropped to the ground, breaking the gaze. That steady, calculating look in his brother's eyes just did not sit well with him. It was as if he was looking into his very being.

However, with the next words that came out of his mate's mouth, he was once again thrown for a loop. He had not expected him to cave anywhere near this easily. He knew that his brother guarded his privacy rather jealously. To hear him suddenly willing to spill his guts was a surprise to say the least.

But Sesshoumaru was never one to pass up an opportunity and asked the questions that had been in his mind for a while now. However, once he began to get his answers, he began to wish he had not asked in the first place. For, while it was bad enough to hear what an awful mate he was from Inuyasha's perspective, it was even worse to hear it told to him in a matter-of-fact voice.

If it had been screamed at him in anger, he could have written most of it off to the anger talking. If it had been ranted at him, he could have believed it was not necessarily something that had been thought out entirely and, thus, was open to interpretation. But this, this emotionless recitation of what his younger brother appeared to believe were facts, this was not something he could ignore. It was not something he could write off and, as such, it held more weight with him than anything else his sibling had ever told him.

In a flash of insight, he realized just why his mate was having so many problems and, with his defenses lowered by severe sleep deprivation, he felt ashamed. How could he have done this to his mate? He had never even considered how his behavior had looked to his little brother before. At this revelation, he could no longer meet his baby brother's eyes. His younger brother was exactly right; he did not deserve to be his mate.

Feeling like a complete heel, he asked the one question he really did not think he wanted to hear the answer to. Why had his little brother chosen to be his mate? If their situations were reversed, he was sure he would not have wanted to be his sibling's mate and would have fought his youki fang and claw over the issue rather than submitting to its will. And hearing that he only did it because it was what his youki wanted was just one more nail in the coffin.

But upon hearing that his mate thought his only motive for mating with him was to get an heir, he felt his youki's anger beginning to rise again and it finally overflowed with the request to not kick him out before he gave birth. Of all the ridiculous things he had ever heard in his life, to hear that his mate seriously thought he was going to kick him out, that was by far the worst.

He raised his eyes from the ground, he could feel them burning with anger and made sure that his mate was looking straight into them so there would be no room for misinterpretation. "You are truly an idiot, little brother. I would never abandon you while you were pregnant. Only the lowest of the low would even consider abandoning their pregnant mate. I am not without honor."

"Fine, fine, no need to get so pissed. It's just that you do tend to toss me aside when you don't see a need for me anymore, you know," his mate said, still speaking in the unconcerned manner he had adopted throughout this entire conversation.

"I do not toss you aside," Sesshoumaru stated with venom. The very idea was crazy. Why would he toss his mate aside?

"Yes you do," Inuyasha replied, looking at him in all seriousness. "You do it all the time. Hell, you just did it back when we met up with Lord Kurasko." He must have had a confused look on his face for his little brother decided to elaborate, "When you told him to ignore me so you could have your high and mighty youkai lord talk."

"I did not believe you would be interested in such matters. Besides, had you wished to stay, I would not have made an issue of it," Sesshoumaru stated, feeling the need to defend himself.

His mate now looked annoyed. "That's hardly the point. The fact of the matter is: you continually treat me like I don't count. Like I'm beneath your notice, not even worth the air I'm breathing in.

"You expect me to do whatever you say whenever you tell me to, and then turn around and want me to disappear as soon as I am no longer convenient to you.

"Yeah, well, you know what? I'm tired of it. I am tired of you confusing me. You say one thing and do another. Every time I turn around, you're saying something different. You want something different. I have no idea what to expect from you and it's only been getting worse recently."

He listened in growing disbelief to what his brother was laying out before him. He then heard Inuyasha sigh, "You know what the worst part of it is, though? The worst part is that sometimes you act like you actually care for me. You tease me with pretending you might give a damn about me. Maybe even love me on some level. And then, then you turn around and spit in my face. Call me a 'filthy hanyou', try to kill me for being a 'disgrace to the family name', maybe make fun of the fact that I never actually got to meet father."

As his mate was saying this, the hanyou pulled into himself further as if to make himself a smaller target. With his knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs and chin resting in the dip between his knees, his mate looked much younger than he normally did. The slightly lost look in his eyes as he spoke only added to the picture.

It was in this moment more than any other that Sesshoumaru was struck with just how young his mate actually was. It was easy to forget through all the brash words and deadly attacks, but his little brother was actually still a very young hanyou. He was still at the age where most demons would not yet be allowed out of their parents' home.

And yet, not only was his little brother out in the world, he had his own pack, his own responsibilities. He had people who depended on him for their very lives. He had more responsibilities at such a young age than many full grown demons had. It made him wonder if this would have happened if he had only realized how important his little brother was sooner.

If he had known it was his future mate he was looking at the first time he met the toddler, would he have choked him and sent him away? Would he have tried to kill him as he got older? Would he now have a mate who was in tears? Wait, his mate was crying? Inuyasha didn't cry. If there was one constant, it was that. Feeling like he had been hit with an exceedingly hard punch to the gut, he found himself wondering what his little brother could possibly be crying about, having a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with him.

As he was trying to figure out this latest conundrum, he heard the higher pitched, human voice of his mate yelling at him from behind. "What did you do to him, you bastard!"

He stood and turned to see both sides standing, looking at him and waiting for an answer. The human side looked very distressed while the demon side merely looked curious. He had not even realized they had stopped fighting. Momentarily cursing himself for his inattention, he addressed the human side, "I did nothing to him."

"Oh, yeah? Why don't I believe you? He wouldn't just up and start crying for no reason, bastard," said the human side, walking towards him. He was expecting for the human to possibly physically attack him as he had attacked the full-demon side earlier, but, much to his surprise, he was completely ignored as the dark-haired male walked straight past him.

Sesshoumaru could not contain his curiosity and asked, "What are you doing?"

The human side ignored him and proceeded to walk straight through the barrier as if it did not exist, crouching down next to the hanyou inside. In words that were too soft for Sesshoumaru to make out, the human talked to his mate and eventually pulled him into his arms, appearing to be completely concerned with comforting the half-demon, no longer paying any attention to the other two in the room.

"He told you, didn't he?" Sesshoumaru heard asked in a rough voice right next to his ear. Glancing quickly to the side, he noted that the full-demon side of Inuyasha had apparently come up to stand next to him while he had been engrossed in the scene unfolding in front of him.

"Told me what?"

"Why the human side is against us taking you as a mate."

Sesshoumaru made a noncommittal sound and went back to silently watching the human comfort the hanyou. It was a rather disturbing image but he could not seem to pull his eyes away. His youki was trying to tell him that he should be the one comforting his mate, but he found himself at a loss.

His little brother didn't really want him as a mate, he never had. He had already stated as much. And if he didn't really want him as his mate in the first place, there was no way that he loved him. And it was this, more than anything that seemed to be bothering the youkai lord.

It had never really occurred to him that it would bother him if his mate did not love him. He had not thought he needed love. Hadn't he decided that love had no place in mating? That mating was more of a type of treaty proposition than anything as flowery as romance and love?

He had seen what had happened to his father when he had shown love for his mates. Had he not decided long ago to have nothing to do with such a silly emotion? Shouldn't he be happy that his mate had no such emotional attachments to him? And, yet, it hurt. This knowledge caused an ache somewhere deep inside him that he could not quite place.

Forcibly pushing his mind away from these thoughts, he realized abruptly that he was neglecting one of the resources available to him which was not like him at all. Once again blaming it on exhaustion, he turned to the full-demon side. This was, after all, the side that was completely for this mating. "Why did you want to mate with me anyway? I've done such terrible things to you."

"Why wouldn't I want to mate with you? You're powerful, you're strong, you smell really good. What's not to like? Besides, we make a good match."

He looked at this side with incredulity. If those were truly the reasons behind this mating, he was feeling even less stable in it than he had been. It was becoming more and more obvious to him that his little brother had never intended to have anything in the way of feelings for him. But something the demon said peaked his curiosity, "Why do we make a good match?"

"We compliment each other. You're cold, calm, and calculating. I'm loud, brash, and impulsive. We even out somewhere in the middle. Besides, can you honestly tell me you've found anyone else out there with a youki anywhere near strong enough to attract you other than me?"

While he couldn't argue with that logic, it was still quite disturbing to him. He idly wondered how his brother put up with this on a regular basis when he realized the demon half of his mate was coming closer to him.

"I wanted to apologize to you, my lord," he said in a very submissive tone.

"What do you wish to apologize for?" Sesshoumaru asked, rather confused. It had looked like HE was the one who should be apologizing from where he was standing.

"For the human and half-demon's behavior towards you. It is highly inappropriate." The youkai lord turned an eye to the full-demon while he continued talking. "You are our mate, after all. Not only that, but you are the alpha. This display is utterly ridiculous," he finished with a sweep of his hand towards the still-crouching couple.

Breaking away from Sesshoumaru's side, the youkai lord heard a derisive snort as the full-demon drew nearer to the two figures. Once again, he watched the figure pass through the barrier as if it did not even exist and he supposed, for them, it might not.

Without even breaking stride, the demon pulled the human off the hanyou and flung him to the side. It was only after the human was no longer in the way that he could see the mess that his younger brother was. The tears had done nothing to help his countenance and Sesshoumaru was once again feeling the urge to go over comfort him in some way. All these thoughts went out of his mind, however as the full-demon version of his mate began to speak.

Addressing the hanyou with a scoff, he said, "Look at you. You're pathetic. Crying like a newborn pup. It's no wonder our mate doesn't want you. You're not worth his time. You're weak. Useless.

"You're lying here, crying, while our mate stands there, watching. You are making a spectacle of yourself and I am ashamed to have to call myself a part of your being."

Sesshoumaru could feel his eyes widening involuntarily as the demon half continued to berate his younger brother. To have such hate towards oneself. He couldn't imagine it. And on top of that, to have it directed towards his mate, who he was beginning to feel had every right to be crying, it was enraging his youki.

True, it was not a physical attack, but he knew that with his younger brother, the physical attacks did not often do anywhere near as much damage as the mental ones. He was just about to try and intervene on his mate's behalf when the hanyou suddenly shot up from the ground and into his full-demon self's face.

"Shut the fuck up," the half-demon demanded. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, I know exactly what I'm talking about," the full-demon half responded. "You're showing your weakness. You're proving to our mate that you are not worthy of being his mate."

"I'm not proving shit to nobody. The only people here are us. If I can't cry inside my own head, where can I cry? It's not like anyone else is going to know." Sesshoumaru raised a brow at this. Had the hanyou forgotten he was there?

Apparently the human side, who had been silent up until now, agreed with him, "You do realize Sesshoumaru is standing right there, right?"

He watched in incredulity as the hanyou dismissed him with a flick of the wrist saying, "Oh, please, that's not Sesshoumaru. That's just a figment of our imagination."

Sesshoumaru was finding himself momentarily without the ability to speak. How had his little brother reached the conclusion that it was not actually him that was standing there? The very idea was nonsensical. Why would his mate's mind create him of all people? It made no sense to him. Although, this belief might explain why the hanyou was so willing to tell him all he wanted to know.

It appeared the human and demon halves were on his side for when he was able to focus back in on the conversation, he could hear the hanyou defending his accusations.

"You really think that's him? You can't be serious. How would he have gotten into my mind in the first place? Besides, he said he was here to retrieve me and to understand how my mind worked better. Why the hell would the real Sesshoumaru want to do that?"

The demon side responded, "Maybe he is trying to become a better mate to us."

"Keh. Yeah, right. You know Sesshoumaru; he thinks he's being a perfect mate. Therefore, any problems must be coming from our end. He would have no desire to become a better mate."

Sesshoumaru, having finally gotten over his shock, decided that he had had quite enough of listening to this nonsense that was coming out of his mate's mouth. It was obvious that the boy was having severe problems. As such, he took a step forward and said, "Inuyasha," in his commanding voice.

Instantly, he felt three sets of eyes on him but he only looked to the ones that belonged to his real mate, the half-demon. "Inuyasha, why do you persist in maintaining that I am not actually Sesshoumaru?"

"Because you're not."

"What must I do to prove to you that I am, in fact, your elder brother and mate?" he asked, hoping that there was something he could do about this situation.

"If you're really him, how do you explain your presence here?"

"Lady Sturaki came to the castle. She told me that you were in dire need of my assistance. You are my mate; I could not stand idly by when there might have been a way to help you. You have been unconscious for a long time.

"She then had me do something that involved looking into you and I found a presence. I recognized the presence as you and drew closer to it. When I reached the center, I found the three of you. In all honesty, I am not sure how I have reached here myself," Sesshoumaru told him in all seriousness.

He watched as the golden eyes of his brother searched his, looking for anything false. Remaining still under the gaze was difficult for him, but he found the control to do so. It was not until after the gaze was broken that he realized there was now only one of his brother with him.

He looked around in confusion. "Where did the other two go?"

He watched a slow smile spread over his mates face as the calm answer came to him, "They were not needed anymore so they left."

"I had thought they had a lot more arguing to do, little brother," Sesshoumaru said, still not understanding.

"They're not finished arguing by a long shot, big brother. But, they have reached one conclusion."

"What is that?"

"It's simple. We've realized that at least some part of you does care for me as a mate should. As such, my human side is willing to give you a chance." He was offered another smile from his younger mate. "Now, how about we get back to the land of the living? Being stuck here so long was a pain in the ass."

Offering the half-demon a small smile of his own, he said, "Lead the way, mate."

- - - - -

Not at all what you were expecting I wager. Oh well, there seems to be a lot of mush in it to me. Maybe that's just me. By the way, I realize there are some phrases in there that are modern and, as such, Sesshoumaru would never use them; I just couldn't find another way to say it. Sorry.

Anyways, thanks for reading and/or reviewing. I really do appreciate both.


	46. Awakening Powers

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 45: Awakening Powers

Inuyasha awoke to an unusual sight. The witch Sturaki was kneeling next to him, looking down with a slightly concerned face. Behind her stood two youkai: a wolf and a swan by their scents, healers both by their garb. He tried to move, but found that he was being held down by something. It was not until then that he realized his mate was lying, sound asleep, on the futon next to him and had managed to trap the hanyou's arm and leg under his own.

He tried to shift out from underneath the larger male, if for no other reason then because there were other people, not all of whom he knew, in the room. However, for every movement of his, the hold on him only grew stronger. Not feeling up to taking on this task at the moment, he allowed himself to drop back onto the futon beside his slumbering mate.

Taking in the faces of the three others in the room, he decided to try and get answers from the only one he recognized. Turning his eyes to the witch, he asked, "What happened, witch?"

"Do you not remember, child?" Sturaki asked, looking a little surprised.

Inuyasha thought about it. He tried to piece together what had happened, but it was all a blur to him. Apparently, his memory didn't seem to be working so well at the moment. "The last thing I remember is fighting with Sesshoumaru. He was being an ass, trying to force me into submission, and then… nothing."

"You have been in an unnatural sleep. Your youki was losing strength and it caused you to collapse," came an explanation from the swan youkai.

Inuyasha looked at her for a second. "Who are you?"

"I am the healer, Yoshehana, Lord Inuyasha," she responded with a bow.

"Ok… Does the bast- uh, Lord Sesshoumaru know you're here?" He was not in the habit of using any type of honorific, especially not for his brother, but being that he was mostly incapacitated and this healer was obviously at least partially in charge of his care, he decided to err on the side of caution and tagged it on.

However, even with the addition of the title, she still looked taken aback by his question. She was looking at him as if he dealt her an insult and he inwardly rolled his eyes at such idiotic behavior over a simple question. "Of course he knows I am here. I am his healer."

"Right," he said, not sounding as if he completely believed her. Why would his brother want such a fragile looking creature for his healer? She looked like a strong wind would knock her over. Pushing aside his musings for the moment, he turned his gaze to Sturaki, asking, "So what really happened?" while purposefully ignoring the annoyed look on the swan demoness' face.

"From what I have seen, you managed to complete the second claim without any problems. Then, the next morning, Lord Sesshoumaru tried to force you into acting like the beta mate. The human side of your being rebelled against this idea. However, since the internal desire to submit brought on by mating in your demon side is so strong, the battle between the two sides was enough to knock you out."

Inuyasha nodded his head. That sounded similar to what he recalled from before he had passed out. "But then why am I awake now? And I don't feel any battle or anything like that in my head anymore." Come to think of it, he felt very much at peace with himself at the moment. He was even feeling oddly at peace with his elder brother holding him the way he was, despite the fact that there were others in the room. He offhandedly wondered if these feelings were an aftereffect of the mating as he listened to the witch's reply.

"You might no longer feel the battle because your mate is currently asleep. Or he might have actually managed to put your mind at ease while YOU were asleep," Sturaki did not sound so sure herself at the second possibility, but that was not what grabbed his attention. Unless there was a chance of it having happened, she never would have even mentioned it.

Because of this, Inuyasha looked at her in confusion. How could his elder brother have put him at ease while he was still out? She appeared to understand his confusion for she sighed and explained, "I helped him to get into your mind…"

"What the fuck did you do that for!" Inuyasha screamed, momentarily forgetting about his weakness and the fact that his mate was draped over him, and pushed himself up into a full standing position. He ignored his elder brother who had abruptly awoken at the jostling and was currently looking around slightly dazed and confused. In another situation, he would have found it to be highly amusing, but right now he was much more concerned about what this witch was saying.

"I helped him because you needed him there," she answered as if she were talking to a slow child. Watching the patronizing look cross the witch's face merely infuriated him more and he used this fury to fuel his weary body into remaining upright.

"Did you ever think I might not WANT him there! It's bad enough you come and go as you please! I do NOT need more people in my head!" he yelled, stepping over his prone, and now looking a little more alert, if not still confused as to what the shouting was about, brother.

However, despite his advances and the growl that issued in warning from his throat as he drew closer, the witch did not falter in her gaze or show any sign of backing down. "I did what I had to, child. Nothing more, nothing less. If you had allowed me into your mind, I would have done it myself. However, you decided that the only one welcome there was your mate, not I."

Inuyasha glowered at her. It was then that he felt something on his calf. Looking down, he saw a pale hand that he readily recognized wrapped around the bottom of his leg just above the ankle. Turning to the owner of the hand, he asked, "What do YOU want?"

He was answered by a completely calm, even serene voice, "Mate. Calm down. What is done is done. It cannot be undone."

Inuyasha looked into the tranquil, golden eyes of his mate for a moment and felt all the anger drain from his body. Only, with the rage no longer present, he realized that he was, in fact, feeling unbearably weak. He supposed being in an unnatural slumber for so long would do that to a person. He felt his stance falter but before he fell, his waist was encased in the strong arm of his mate.

Allowing the arm to draw him back down to the ground, he sat on his brother's lap in a loose embrace without protest. He did not even object when the youkai lord rested his head on his shoulder and nuzzled his neck although he did find it to be a bit of odd behavior on the part of the youkai. Despite that observation though, there was something inside him that was telling him to accept this. That this was alright. This was the way it was supposed to be and, despite the oddity, he could feel himself relaxing into the hold.

They remained there for moments that felt like hours to Inuyasha as he felt rather than watched his mate settle himself around him more comfortably. Evidently having found the most comfortable position he could with the way they were sitting, his elder brother stopped his movement all together.

When Sesshoumaru went right back to sleep with his head still resting on Inuyasha's shoulder, seeming to content himself with breathing in the half-demon's scent continuously, the younger male could hold his peace no longer. "What the hell happened to him?" His older brother was not acting the way he normally did, no matter how he chose to look at it.

Once again the swan demoness answered his question. "He has been by your side since you fell ill. He refused to sleep, barely ate, and has been feeding his youki steadily into you the entire time."

Inuyasha felt his eyes widen in amazement. He turned an incredulous look on his mate and wondered what in the world he had been thinking. That didn't sound like his elder brother at all. And yet, if someone had told him that his big brother would be sleeping on his shoulder while holding him in his lap, he would have called them crazy as well.

He was pulled from his contemplation by a new and rather unpleasant sensation: this one in his stomach. "Speaking of eating, you got any food around here? I haven't eaten in… how long was I out?"

"Just over a week, Lord Inuyasha, and I will send a servant to retrieve food for you right away. You must be starved," answered Yoshehana.

He watched the healer leave the room, undoubtedly to find a servant to bring him food and turned his gaze to the elderly wolf healer who had been silent this entire time. "So, what's your deal?"

The wolf looked at him in mild offense. "Excuse me?"

"Why are you here? I can't imagine my brother would keep a wolf on staff."

"Your brother? What does your brother have to do with this?"

"We are in my brother's palace, you know."

"Ah, I see, you are confused about your whereabouts. You are no longer in your brother's palace, both you and your mate were moved to your mate's palace, most likely after you went to sleep. Although why they would choose to move you instead of just leave you at your brother's palace and have the help come there, I cannot answer for you."

Inuyasha looked at the wolf healer closely. It was incomprehensible to him that a wolf demon would not be able to tell they were related. The scents should have been easily matched up as being family, even though they were only half-brothers. Then again, he supposed the wolf may have lost some of his more delicate senses to old age. But if his sense of smell was truly that bad, Inuyasha couldn't comprehend how he could be a decent healer.

Still looking at the wolf as if he was a little on the crazy side, Inuyasha slowly and clearly said, "You see this demon sleeping on me right now? This is my brother, Sesshoumaru. He is also my mate. When I say I am at my brother's castle, I am also saying that I am at my mate's castle. Got it?"

He watched the wolf demon look at him like he was insane. "How can you say he is your brother? You smell nothing alike."

Inuyasha was just about to argue the point when Sturaki stepped in. "Actually, they are brothers, half-brothers if you want to get specific. They have the same father."

"Then how do you explain the lack of commonalities in their scents?" the wolf demon asked her in challenge. Inuyasha could easily tell that the wolf demon was sure he was right and they were wrong.

"The difference in scents has nothing to do with their familial relationship and everything to do with the changes that are taking place inside Inuyasha himself."

Inuyasha once again turned his attention to the witch. There was only one change that he was aware of having taken place recently, "You mean the ability to bear pups?"

"That as well as some other changes that are taking place inside you." When he looked at her confused, she decided to elaborate. "You are aware that you are still growing in power correct?"

"Sure," Inuyasha said with a shrug. "I'm not exactly full-grown yet, you know?"

"Indeed. There is a power in you that is just beginning to come to the surface."

Just as she finished speaking, a servant came in and placed food in front of Inuyasha. He found himself stuck with a choice, either eat or find out about this new power of his. He was incredibly interested in this new power, but was also quite hungry. The witch seemed to notice his problem and told him, "Eat, child, you are starving. I shall tell you what you wish to know."

After he began to eat, she continued to talk. "Remember the discussion we had about your ability to sense things? This is more or less an extension of that.

"You are gradually becoming more and more in touch with the world around you. You will find it easier and easier to sense things. Eventually you will be able to actually affect the world on a larger scale in return."

Inuyasha could accept that, all his other powers had been growing in leaps and bounds lately, why not that one, too? But it still didn't explain a damn thing about his scent. His scent had never changed before when he had gained a new ability, why should it now? As such, Inuyasha stopped stuffing food into his mouth long enough to ask, "But what does that have to do with my scent changing?"

"As you get more in touch with the world, your scent is changing to reflect that. It is becoming less of a combination of your parent's scents and more of an overwhelming natural scent. It will only become more pronounced as time goes by."

"That's utterly ridiculous," the wolf demon said and Inuyasha was inclined to agree with him. "Gaining new powers does not lead to a change in scent."

Sturaki turned to look at him, "Maybe not when the new power being gained is a demonic power, but I never said that this was a new demonic power."

"If it is not a demonic power, then what is it?" Inuyasha asked, having finished eating the food in front of him. He was starting to think that his elder brother had the right idea in falling asleep. He was finding it hard to follow the conversation in his current state.

He 'keh'ed to himself. Who would have thought that one could wake up from an unnatural sleep feeling more tired than they had before? Apparently Sturaki noticed his problem for she said, "It is not important right now. All you need to concentrate on at present is regaining your strength.

"Go back to sleep with your mate, I will make sure no one disturbs you."

Inuyasha considered arguing with her, but really did not feel up to it at the moment. Watching the healers and witch take their leave of the room, he stifled a yawn and tried to figure out how to get comfortable.

After attempting to move and finding that what had appeared to be a loose embrace was actually a rather secure one, he gave up on moving. It wasn't as if he had not been in much less comfortable positions for sleep in the past, after all. So, Inuyasha decided to just let Sesshoumaru have his way and closed his eyes to follow his brother into sleep, still sitting up in his mate's lap, completely oblivious to the turmoil that was taking place in the rest of the palace.

- - - - -

I wanted to thank everyone who wished my daughter well with her broken leg. She is doing much better now, although she still doesn't like to walk on it. (Something about a weakened ankle from it having been held immobile for so long.)

Next chapter, back to the rest of the people at the palace, namely Kagome and company. (Show of hands: How many forgot all about them? Uh-huh. I thought so.)

As always, thanks to everyone who takes the time to read and/or review. I appreciate them both.


	47. Lunch with the Gang

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

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Chapter 46: Lunch with the Gang

Kagome watched the healers and the witch Sturaki leave with growing disbelief. So now that they were here, they were just expected to wait until someone decided to tell them something?

As Kagome was about to take off right after the trio and demand answers from them, she felt a hand on her arm. "Lady Kagome, I believe it would be best if we allowed them to do their jobs. It does not appear that they bear Inuyasha any ill-will in any event."

It was then that Shippo spoke up from his perch on her shoulder, "Yeah, Kagome, Inuyasha will be fine. I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

At the reminder of food, Kagome could feel her stomach begin to growl. The last time they had eaten had been early that morning and it was only a quick breakfast before once again taking off towards Inuyasha. And even with the breakfast that they had had, she had eaten very little, being too concerned for Inuyasha and his well-being to feel up to eating more.

It hadn't helped matters that she had to deal with Sturaki on the way either. It wasn't that she felt the seer was a bad person, not like some of the dark priestesses and witches she had come across, anyway, but more of how she refused to give them information that was bothersome.

Couldn't Sturaki tell that she was worried? That she had been coming up with one way that Inuyasha's brother might have been torturing him after another? That she was terrified that they would be coming to collect a body?

And yet, this seer, this woman who obviously knew more about the circumstances than she was letting on, refused to tell her anything! She could understand not telling Shippo, he was too young for much of it. She could even understand not telling Sango or Miroku, they were merely Inuyasha's friends. But to not tell her? Couldn't that woman see how important Inuyasha was to her?

But, as she thought of the other things that the witch had noticed, she wondered if that was the case at all. Had her concern really gone unnoticed, or was it just being ignored? Was she playing with Kagome's heart in much the same way that Kikyo loved to? Was this to be another rival for the affections of her half-demon?

Her hackles raised at the thought even as she was practically dragged into the dining area. This woman had no right to come along and try and usurp both hers and Kikyo's places in Inuyasha's life. They were the ones that had the first claim on him, after all.

However, just as quickly as the anger was raised, it dissipated. She reminded herself that Inuyasha was still quite attached to Kikyo and, even if he only saw Kagome as an afterimage of the undead priestess, he was attached to her, as well. There was no more room for anyone else in his life.

She held in a bitter laugh. There was barely any room for the two of them as it was. Drawing the conclusions that any affections of the witch towards the hanyou were most likely not returned in any way, shape, or form, Kagome shook herself from her more depressed musings.

It was only then that she realized she was now seated at the table, next to Shippo, across from Miroku, kitty-corner to Sango and Kirara. They all appeared to be waiting to be served, remaining perfectly silent. Without the half-demon present, there seemed to be little to talk about. Even Shippo wasn't being his normal, boisterous self.

It was then that a panel slid open from the other side of the room. Looking up with everyone else, Kagome saw a small girl, dressed in a beautiful child's kimono, step in and silently close the panel before turning to them.

The surprise of them being there was evident on her face when she finally noticed them. Kagome watched her school her features very quickly and bow to them. "Greetings. I am sorry I am late for lunch. I had not realized we were to be having company."

It wasn't until the girl raised herself from the bow that Kagome remembered who she was. "Rin, right?" she asked tentatively.

She watched the child flash a small smile at her, nodding her head. "That's right. I am Rin and you're that nice priestess lady."

Kagome gave her a genuine grin. "I'm glad you remember me. My name is Kagome and this is Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara," she said, pointing to each person respectively.

Rin nodded to all of them and once again offered them her small smile. She then came over to the table and took her place. "I am glad that you have come here. I am sure you are hungry. Lunch will be here shortly."

Just as she finished talking, panels on the walls began to open as servants brought in food with an efficiency that left Kagome in awe. Before she knew it, the entire table was covered in delicious-looking food.

She could feel her mouth beginning to water while she wondered exactly how to deal with this properly. They were not often given food to choose from. She was pointedly ignoring Miroku's comments about how they should mooch off demon nobles more often when she heard Rin speak again.

"You might as well start eating, Lord Sesshoumaru will not be joining us this afternoon."

All drooling in the room stopped and they turned to the girl as one. "How do you know that, Rin? Have you talked to him today?" Kagome asked her, hunger temporarily forgotten.

The girl looked up from her plate to meet Kagome's eyes briefly before flickering back down. There was a profound sadness in her eyes that seemed utterly out of place on her face. She continued to look at her plate while she answered the query. "No, I have not talked to him today, or yesterday, or the day before. He refuses to leave his sleeping room and I am not allowed inside."

"Why would he refuse to leave his sleeping room?" Miroku asked gently.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess he's worried."

"Worried? I thought he was sick," Sango said in some confusion. Kagome silently agreed with her. They had gotten the distinct impression from the healers and guards that he was, in fact, ill, not worried.

"My mom once told me that you could make yourself sick by worrying too much. Lord Sesshoumaru has been worrying for a really long time. Maybe he got sick from it."

Kagome shared a confused look with Sango and Miroku. What in the world would Sesshoumaru, of all people, have to be worried about? For all that he was a youkai lord, the running of his lands never appeared to cause him any problems and even if it did, from the way Rin was responding, this was a new development. But there was nothing else coming to mind that he might be worried about. It didn't make any sense to her.

Apparently they were not the only ones confused for Shippo chose that moment to pipe up, "What could he possibly have to be worried about? Sesshoumaru is the youkai Lord of the West."

Rin looked Shippo right in the eye. "Lord Sesshoumaru is worried about Lord Inuyasha."

Kagome could feel rather than see the shocked expressions on all her companions faces, hers included. Since when did Sesshoumaru care about his younger brother at all? This had to be some kind of sick joke, but this little girl had said it so simply, with such honesty that she was unsure just how to take this new information.

However, more than the shock that the youkai lord might actually care about Inuyasha, she realized that what she had been dreading might have come to fruition. Something was wrong with Inuyasha. Now she just had to find out what it was.

And it was that determination to find out what was wrong with the hanyou more than anything else that allowed her to get over the shock first and continue to question the girl who was now picking at some food she had moved onto her plate in the silence that had followed her previous statement. "Why would Sesshoumaru be worried about Inuyasha, Rin?"

"Because he screamed and fell," she answered quietly without looking up.

Before Kagome got a chance, Miroku jumped in, "Where did he fall from? A cliff?"

"He didn't fall FROM anywhere. Lord Inuyasha just fell."

"Where did he fall?" Sango asked.

Rin pointed to the panel they had come in to reach the room. "He fell right in front of there."

The little girl now had four sets of very confused eyes trained on her. The Inuyasha Kagome knew wouldn't just fall for no reason. There had to be something else going on. "Rin, what happened right before he screamed?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru and Lord Inuyasha were arguing."

Ah, now she was getting somewhere. Maybe Sesshoumaru had poisoned him or something. But then that still didn't explain why Sesshoumaru was now worried about him. Suddenly a thought occurred to her, maybe he wasn't worried at all, maybe he just wanted to make sure that Inuyasha was, in fact, going to die this time.

Sure that her line of reasoning was correct, she almost missed Miroku's next question, "What were they arguing about?"

"Lord Inuyasha didn't want to be the girl," she answered very matter-of-factly.

"What!" the three older shard-searchers yelled. Shippo, who was normally rather loud, just withdrew further into himself, a terrified look beginning to spread over his face that none present noted.

Rin very calmly restated, "I said that Lord Inuyasha didn't want to be the girl."

"That's what Inuyasha said?" Miroku asked, disbelief showing plainly on his face.

Kagome watched the young girl take the time to really concentrate on the answer to that question. After what felt like an eternity, during which she held her breath in anticipation, Rin replied, "No, that's not what he said." She released the air she had been holding in relief only to have the girl continue on, "He actually said that he wasn't going to be the wife."

Of all the possible things that could have come out of this child's mouth, that had to have been the least expected. As such, Kagome was left there, gaping like a fish, her brain unable to process the facts it was being given. While she tried to come to grips with this newest information, the others continued to talk.

Sango's POV (cause Kagome's out of commission for the moment)

"Why would Inuyasha say something like that?" Sango asked, more to herself than to anyone else. Something very bizarre was going on here.

However, it appeared that the young girl they had been talking to did not realize the question was not really directed at her, for she answered anyway, "He wasn't happy with where he was sitting."

"Where was he sitting?" Miroku asked, his curiosity peaked.

"He was sitting right there," Rin said, indicating her immediate left. Sango took note of where that would place him in relation to where the Lord of the West obviously sat. She had enough training in dealing with nobles to know what that spot signified.

She was aware that the spot to the immediate right of the lord of the house was left vacant except when it was filled by the lady of the house. No other would be placed there. She listened to Miroku question the girl on why he sat there and was beyond surprised when the girl responded that Sesshoumaru had forced his younger brother to sit there.

That kind of thing was just not done. It was no wonder Inuyasha went off on his elder brother for that. Only the Western Lord's mate had the right to sit in that spot. However, it also impressed her at the same time. She had had no idea Inuyasha knew so much about the politics involved with the nobility. And for him to be concerned about the honor of his elder brother's future mate was nothing short of astonishing.

Sango looked back over to Kagome and saw that the poor girl had her jaw dropped in disbelief. She had her doubts as to whether or not the girl from the future actually understood the significance of what was being said, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for her anyway.

Her love was obviously in trouble and she had no way to help him. Not only that, but their source of information was a child who appeared to be just a little less confused than the rest of them were. Sango thought that it must be really hard on her to have no clear idea of what was wrong, only that SOMETHING was wrong.

As such, she tried to give her best friend a small smile of reassurance, even though she herself was unsure of what was really going on. When the smile wasn't even noticed, though, she gave up on it. It was obvious Kagome was still trying to figure out what was going on for herself.

Sango turned her attention back to the little girl and monk who were still talking. She was just about to ask the girl if she had any idea why Sesshoumaru had decided to put Inuyasha in that seat in particular when she heard a slap across the table.

Quickly turning to the sound along with the rest of the group, she watched as Myouga floated down onto the wood before once again reanimating. Apparently he had decided Kagome looked dead enough to the world that he could get a drink out of her. After getting over the initial shock of him being present, Sango mused that while he may not have been able to get a meal out of her, he had definitely managed to bring her attention back to the land of the living.

Myouga's POV

He had been hopping along towards the Western Palace for days now and had only just reached its borders. He was still unsure of what he was going to tell his master when he arrived, but refused to let that stop him from making all due haste there.

Getting into places without being seen was a small matter for a flea and so, he merely walked through the grass around the guards in front of the gate and then straight through. No one was any the wiser. Making his way quickly to the palace, he dodged the various people traveling to and fro. It was midday and the bustle of life was still great.

However, even in all this confusion, he did not get lost for he had been here many times before with Inuyasha's father. He sighed at the contemplation of the previous dog general. He had truly been a man of honor. Myouga had served him gladly.

In fact, many of the reasons he had served the father were now the reasons he had decided to serve the son. For as rough around the edges as his current master was, he knew there was a good and honorable heart beating in his chest. He also knew that if he was ever in trouble, he could count on his master to come and save him.

He had never felt that way towards the elder son of his previous master. While the younger was more kind-hearted, the elder was as cold-hearted as they came. Myouga internally shuddered at the idea of having to serve such a tyrant. He was once again reminded of just how lucky he was to have a master who was capable of caring for someone other than himself.

His contemplations turned to worry as he hurried down the hallway in the palace to where he knew the dining area to be. Since it was the middle of the day now, there was a high likelihood that someone would be there eating lunch. Just the thought of the people who might be eating made his mouth water. He was sure if his young master was present he would not mind giving him a slight taste. It would surely take the gamier flavor of the deer he had eaten breakfast from out of his mouth.

With these happy thoughts in mind, Myouga quickly hopped through the small opening between the panel and the wall where it had obviously not been closed tightly enough. However, when he saw who was at the table, he was at once pleasantly surprised and rather disappointed.

It was not his master and elder brother, but rather the rest of his master's pack. He was slightly confused as to why his master was not present, but determined that he must be in the right place if they were here as well. Giving up on the meal he had wanted with a sigh, he decided to settle for second best. His master's priestess was always good for a quick snack or two. And to make it even better, she did not even appear to be paying attention.

Unnoticed, Myouga hopped over to Kagome and landed lightly on her nose, sucking out the precious blood as quickly as possible. It was a testament to just how little attention she was paying that he was able to engorge himself for a full 4 seconds before she slapped him away.

Floating to the table, he waited until he reanimated before talking to them. "Greetings. Might any of you know where Master Inuyasha is?"

He looked from one solemn face to the next and immediately felt that something was wrong. This group was normally incredibly cheerful and talkative, and yet, they were now all giving him the impression that some very serious misdeed had been done. From the looks on their faces, he garnered the only explanation that seemed plausible to him. "They went ahead and did it, didn't they?" he asked with resignation in his voice. Even in all his haste, he was too late.

He was busy bemoaning the horrendous fate of his master to be mated to one such as Lord Sesshoumaru silently when he heard a confused voice, "Who went ahead and did what?"

Turning to the speaker, his reply echoed the confusion being shown him. "Didn't Master Inuyasha and Lord Sesshoumaru complete the ritual?" When he saw confused looks being passed back and forth between the occupants of the table, he finally realized something of great import; they had no idea what he was talking about.

If they were not aware of the claiming ritual having been completed, it most likely had not. His master surely would have told his pack if it had been. There would have been no way to hide it really. But at the same time, it left Myouga wondering why they were all so serious if it was not over the misfortune of his lord being mated to Lord Sesshoumaru.

Putting that concern aside, he realized that perhaps he was not too late after all. Maybe he was just in time to stop this from happening in the first place. All he needed to do was find and warn his master of what he knew. He was sure that would be enough to stop any questionable business or urges that might currently be in place. Now all he had to do was find Lord Inuyasha.

Turning his attention back to the rest of his master's pack, he realized they were all still looking at him for answers to what he was talking about. Knowing the way that his lord was with his personal affairs, however, he had no intention of satisfying their curiosity. For, if he was, in fact, able to get to his master in time and stop the claiming from ever happening in the first place, his master would be rather displeased to realize that he had informed his pack of the potential incident.

Deciding that he would rather preserve his own life than satisfy the curiosity of his master's pack, Myouga made a quick goodbye to them all and took off as fast as he could to find his master himself. He was sure his lord could not be very far away what with it being mating season and his entire pack being in attendance. And he did need to find his lord as quickly as possible; they had much to talk about.

Miroku's POV

Well, that was...different. Not that Myouga showing up suddenly and leaving just as abruptly wasn't normal enough, but given the circumstances, he was not as willing to ascribe this particular action to the unnecessary information part of his brain.

Myouga had seemed genuinely concerned about...something.

It had seemed to be something of great importance, as well. However, once it became apparent that they were not aware of what he was talking about, he ceased speaking. All this led Miroku to believe that the something in question was most likely something Inuyasha had deigned to share with Myouga but not with the rest of them.

Then there was this ritual Myouga had mentioned. What was the ritual for? Miroku could not bring himself to believe that his friend would enter into a ritual of any sort with his hated elder brother. But then he reminded himself of whom their shared father was. If there was one thing he had learned about the late dog general through his interactions with Inuyasha, it was that he had wanted his sons to get along. He had wanted them to be brothers in every sense of the word.

He had gone to great lengths to see that it was so, up to and including putting the entire mortal world in jeopardy just to get them to cooperate for even a moment. What if that was not all he had done? What if he had done other things in addition to that to insure that his sons behaved as brothers?

Miroku shuddered internally at the thought. A human's ideas of building brotherly bonds were obviously not the same as a demon's ideas. He didn't even want to think of what else their father might have dreamt up to encourage this 'bonding'.

He thought back over what he knew of the situation, mostly about what Shippo had told them versus what Myouga had accidentally let slip. Shippo had said it was a spell that needed to be broken. Myouga had referred to a ritual that was to be preformed. What if the ritual was supposed to break the spell?

If that was the case, he would welcome it gladly enough, but it appeared that the ritual had gone awry if what he understood from young Rin was truthful. And yet, there was still the issue of why Lord Sesshoumaru would care at all if it was, in fact, his younger brother who was having the difficulties rather then himself.

Unless that was what went wrong.

Perhaps once the ritual was performed, they were no longer allowed to fight with one another without there being dire consequences. He could readily see their father believing that to be an ideal set of circumstances and he, himself, could find no fault in it. To no longer have to worry about being attacked by Lord Sesshoumaru, to be able to count on him as an ally of sorts. That would be extraordinary indeed.

And yet, with those benefits, there was evidently quite the downside as well. If they did not get along with one another, it appeared that the ritual made it so that Inuyasha would become physically disabled; assuming his collapse in front of the panel was any indication of how it would be in the future. Why it was just him and not both of them, Miroku was unsure, but he thought it might have something to do with Inuyasha only being half-demon whereas his brother was full-demon. If that were the case, the ritual was most likely intended for use on full-demons and would likely cause great harm to his friend in the long term.

Silently vowing to himself to make it his business to find out what exactly this ritual had entailed and how he might better help his friend to cope with these unforeseen consequences, Miroku turned his attention back to the nearly untouched food in front of them. Realizing that everyone else was lost in thought as well, he did the only thing he could think of to relieve the overwhelming oppressiveness present in the room.

One hand reached over and behind the slayer to his right and caressed her bottom. When the immediate scream and hit to the head followed, Miroku smiled just before slipping into unconsciousness. At least the mood was broken.

- - - - -

Uh, hi. (waves nervously) No, I haven't dropped off the face of the planet, I've just been incredibly busy and rather pissed off at everyone in the Inuyasha gang but Inuyasha. I'm sorry, but I happen to seriously think they were all grossly unfair about the whole Kikyo thing in the last handful of new episodes that were shown in the US (the ones right after Kikyo is thrown into the lava for those who were unaware). I don't particularly her, but he was genuinely worried about the girl and all they could do was give him major grief about it. Ahhh! It makes me want to smack some heads together. But, honestly, that's why it took so long. I know they're not normally like that, so I didn't want to portray them as being all bad in my story but I've only just gotten over being so upset, so maybe it's better in the long run that I didn't write this chapter sooner.

In any event, thank you to all who have been waiting patiently for this chapter. I hope it meets (or exceeds) at least a few of your expectations. And as always, I would love to hear from you.


	48. Affection

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest and citrus

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 47: Affection

Sesshoumaru awoke from his undreaming state to the smell of his mate. As opposed to the last week or so, however, this time it smelled just like his mate with no hint of illness.

He released a soft growl of contentment without even realizing it. His mate was now better. There was no more need for concern. Without even thinking about it, he took note that the youki levels currently in his mate were right back to where they were supposed to be.

Everything about his mate was telling him that Inuyasha was once again healthy and able and most likely would not be ill again for a very long time. He nuzzled his nose further into his mate's neck and took a large sniff. He could smell the woods and the feminine scent as well as the heat scent which was still there.

Realizing that his younger brother still did not smell as if he were pregnant, Sesshoumaru's youki once again pushed itself to the surface. Having an unpregnant mate during their first mating season together was something that needed to be rectified immediately.

And so, with no conscious thought on Sesshoumaru's part, he began to go about the very important business of once again taking his mate. This time, however, he would be gentle with him. It had hurt him badly to realize the pain he had caused his young mate over the past years and he felt that he had to make it up to him in some manner even if there was truly no way for him to ever fully repair the damage that had been done through his own carelessness.

Given that Sesshoumaru was not one to feel remorse for anything, he was unsure of how to really go about doing that, but decided that being more gentle with his little brother might be a good way to start. So, under the direction of his youki and the consent, for once, of his conscious mind, he turned his full attention to his young mate's needs.

All these thoughts in mind, he began to kiss and lick his younger brother's neck as the younger male sat in his lap, still asleep. When he ran out of room on the neck, he began to slowly push the material of his mate's clothing out of the way to reveal more skin, being careful not to wake his still sleeping little brother.

The only problem was that, the more skin he revealed for himself to taste, the more skin he wanted to see. And then he reached the point where he could no longer reach any of his mate's flesh from where he was seated and his youki began to get frustrated. Here he had a lap full of his mate and yet he was still finding himself impeded in his movements. This would not do. His youki was once again reminding him that he needed to impregnate Inuyasha and so he contemplated how to fulfill that request.

Thinking it over for a moment while he gently sucked on his mate's shoulder and slowly caressed the flesh under his hand, he devised a way to get Inuyasha off of him and lying on the futon without waking him up in the process. Calling upon his fur accompaniment once more for assistance in moving his baby brother, he watched it slowly wrap its way around his mate's body and only when he saw that it had a firm hold, did he allow his arm to relax and release the boy into its grasp.

Directing it to be gentle in its movements, he had it coax the sleeping hanyou into lying out flat and then place him on the futon before completely unraveling itself from his mate and falling to ground, lifeless, once again. Satisfied with the results, he removed his own bothersome clothing and set about removing the clothing that was still obstructing his younger brother's skin from his perusal.

Discarding the rest of the haori, he gazed down at the bare chest of his mate. He could feel his youki begin to rise again. It wanted him to ravish this creature in front of him. He agreed with it, and yet, he found that he could not. He could not help but feel with his new-found knowledge of his mate, that it would not be right of him to treat his little brother as such. And so, he held himself back and merely contented himself to look for the moment.

As he was watching the boy, Inuyasha took in a deep breath and released it with a sigh. Still sleeping, a slight smile appeared on his mate's face. Finding himself curious as to what caused it; Sesshoumaru looked down at his younger brother more closely. He watched an additional breath come in and go out with another sigh, only in this sigh there was the barest hint of a sound. Were it not for his youkai hearing, he would have missed it entirely, but, being who he was, it might as well have been shouted at him from the highest rooftops. The bare utterance on his mate's lips was in fact his own name.

The combination of hearing his name and seeing the smile on his little brother's lips led to a rather wolfish smile crossing his own face beyond his control. So his mate was dreaming about him. And it appeared he was enjoying the dream. What an unexpected, and yet, fortuitous development.

With barely a second's more thought, he decided to assist his mate in making his dream a reality. Faster than the human eye could see, he was once again on his younger brother, covering the newly exposed flesh with kisses, licks, and caresses. It was not long before his still sleeping mate was fairly writhing on the ground beneath him, trying to get closer to his body.

When he heard the low moan that sounded suspiciously like his name, Sesshoumaru paused for a moment to look up at his mate, sure that he was now awake. But despite all that was happening, Inuyasha was still lost in the world of dreams. The elder youkai was amazed at how strongly his younger brother held onto slumber until he heard a whimper issue from those same lips.

Realizing that it was the lack of his body on his mate's that was causing the whimper, he returned to his previous business with one exception. Instead of contenting himself with his mate's torso as he had been doing, he deftly untied the hakama his mate was wearing and gently pushed it down his legs.

Seeing the newly uncovered skin was a sight for sore eyes. He licked his lips in anticipation before once again looking up to his younger brother's face. Wondering at how his eyes could still be closed, he turned his attention back to a much more interesting sight.

He could not contain himself looking upon the newly exposed flesh and lowered his head for a quick lick of the sensitive skin. He was not sure what he had been expecting, but his mate's entire body lifting itself up off the futon in combination with the loudest moan yet, was not it. He once again looked to his mate's face and he found himself looking into the golden eyes of his, now quite awake, mate.

"Sesshoumaru…" came his name breathlessly from his mate's lips. He raised a brow in response, not moving from his position. "What are you doing?" his little brother continued.

"I had thought that would be obvious," he responded, licking up along his young mate's skin, still watching his younger brother for his response.

He heard a gasp and watched as his partner's back arched off the bed. Considering that interesting response, he almost missed the next words out of his mouth, "I know that. But… why?"

Coming to the conclusion that the question was 'why now?' rather than 'why at all?', Sesshoumaru pulled slightly away from his baby brother's rather enticing body. Locking eyes with his young mate, he asked emotionlessly, "Would you like me to stop?"

He almost laughed as Inuyasha's eyes widened comically at the very idea. "No! No! That wasn't what I meant!"

Doing his level best to maintain the look of indifference that was effortless in most situations but appeared to be a nearly insurmountable task in this instance, he asked, "So you wish for me to continue?"

"Hell, yes!" came his response as his younger brother watched him with an almost panicked look on his face.

'Did you honestly think I was going to let you get away from me even if you had requested it, little brother?' Sesshoumaru thought to himself in some amusement before drolly responding, "I suppose I could accommodate you," and lowering his lips and tongue to his brother's skin once again.

He did chuckle when his younger brother collapsed bonelessly back onto the futon a second later, and released a sigh. When the sigh turned to a moan with his chuckle dancing across his mate's skin, he glanced up again just in time to see Inuyasha's eyes roll into the back of his head.

With a smirk at his accomplishment, the youkai lord went back to his self-given task of driving his little hanyou insane with lust and desire. He continued to lick his younger brother's flesh as he watched Inuyasha flail with abandon under his ministrations.

He had never seen his little brother look like this before. Even when there was a lack of grace present in his movements, they were never this spasmatic in nature. Actually, he was finding it to be rather endearing. The complete lack of self-consciousness or control on the part of his young mate was something he did not believe he had ever possessed. The fact that he was the one who was responsible for doing this to him was merely the icing on the cake.

As he was slowly bringing his brother to complete insanity through teasing, he realized that this was quite possibly the most pleasurable time he had ever experienced in his life. He had never realized just how much he would enjoy doing things with his younger brother that did not involve trying to kill him. As it was, he was quickly forgetting why he had ever thought killing his little brother was a good idea. Having his baby brother writhe underneath him was a much preferable option to facing him across the battlefield.

With a heated kiss that his young mate initiated, they both found their release. He continued to kiss his mate and remain locked in the embrace of his mate's legs long after they had both reached completion. After the hard time he and his mate had faced with their disagreements and then his younger brother's near-death, he had not had time to properly enjoy his new mate even though they had in fact been mated for almost half a moon cycle by now.

There had been too much pain, too much worry. He realized now that part of it was his own fault, and yet, he could not help but think that if his mate was a little less hard-headed, things would not have been this difficult. Then again, if his mate wasn't so hard-headed, he would probably not be his mate. In fact, he probably would not have survived his childhood.

But now that all these issues had been at least partially resolved, he felt content to just lie with his mate and bask in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Taking in another deep breath of his delicious smelling mate, Sesshoumaru decided it would be in both of their best interests to continue to rest for a while. He himself was still not completely recovered from the previous ordeal and he was sure his young mate was not either.

With a soft whisper to go back to sleep, he gathered his mate into his arms, in a much more comfortable position this time. His youki made sure that he was wrapped protectively around his beta just to insure proper protection and then Sesshoumaru drifted off as well.

Myouga's POV

Myouga backed away from the part of the panel he had been looking around. At first, he had been shocked to find his master sleeping in his elder brother's lap. But then, the surprise had given way to dread. He was not entirely sure what it meant, but he had an idea.

What had his master gotten himself into?

Although it was obvious that the duo was not going to awaken any time soon, Myouga was still loathe to set foot in the room. If either one of them caught wind of him, he was not sure what the reception would be. And, with the way they were positioned, it was quite likely that they would both become angry at him rather than just his master.

If it were only his master's rage to be worried about, he most likely would have risked it, but there was no way he would risk the rage of his elder brother. Especially not when said older brother was looking to be in a rather protective mood at the time. He decided it would be best to return at a later time when they were awake and call on his lord then.

And so it was that he spent the next two days. He would stop by the room at regular intervals, avoiding everyone else in the palace, in particular his master's pack. It would not do if they managed to get a hold of him for questioning. It was bad enough that he had eavesdropped on a rather unpleasant conversation between the priestess and a witch whom his late master had had dealings with. There was no way he was going to avail himself to their questions as well.

But for all his checking up, there was no change whatsoever until one day when he was once again checking on them through a crack in the doorway. He had thought they were asleep as usual and stopped to contemplate the tableau laid out before him once more before preparing to turn away again. It was then, just as he was preparing to leave, that he thought he saw something.

Turning back quickly, he silently observed the youkai lord move. But even in these movements, it was not until he saw Lord Sesshoumaru begin to molest his master in his sleep that he realized it must actually be what it had appeared to be at first glance. This was not good. It was obvious that the elder youkai had somehow forced his master into mating with him.

He had been dreading this possible outcome for days, weeks even. He was obviously too late. There was no other possible explanation. He still held out hope for his master though. There were ways for the mating to be dissolved. Very dangerous ways, but ways none the less. If Lord Sesshoumaru did not prove himself to be a fit mate for his lord, it would be his duty as a loyal retainer to inform his master of other possible options.

To this end, Myouga observed to see what the elder inuyoukai was going to do. As the flea demon silently watched the interaction that was taking place in front of him, he was struck by one thought. 'Where was the violence?' If he didn't know any better, he would think that the youkai lord was being GENTLE with his master. Sure this could not be the case, he rubbed his eyes hard and looked again.

Despite his misgivings, there was no violence in the actions at all. In fact, it appeared to be downright LOVING to the small youkai. He had never thought that he would be able to think of his master's terrible older brother in those terms, but there was no other way to describe it.

Unable to tear his eyes away, Myouga watched the alpha, for that is obviously what he was, worship the body of his beta. The tenderness and affection being shown were not what he had been expecting at all and he found himself wondering if he wished to inform his master of the information he had found out after all.

In any event, it did not appear that his master was opposed to the events that were occurring. In point of fact, his master, whom had just awoken, appeared to be enjoying the ministrations of his mate greatly. And, after a brief by play between the two which was too soft for him to make out, the older brother had gone right back to work on the younger.

As he watched the elder inuyoukai attempt to bring pleasure to the younger inuhanyou with disbelief, he caught a glimpse of the figure that lay beneath the youkai lord's hair. If there was in fact a mating mark there, it meant that his master had claimed the elder as well. It was not just a one-sided claiming.

It also meant that everything as Myouga knew it was now going to be called into question. He knew that the mating could still be voided, but it would have to be done at great possible cost and, given what his master had told him about being able to bear pups, that cost might very well include those pups he was so happy about.

He wrestled with his conscience as he turned his back on the rutting inuyoukai. On the one hand, it would be unfair and unwise to keep the possibly very relevant information he had found out to himself. On the other hand, if it was true that his master was as happy as he had looked, did he really have any right to put a stop to it. Did it honestly matter how it came to be?

He had been hoping to arrive before the mating to prevent this dilemma from coming up in the first place, but now… Myouga was unsure he could tell his master this now. It would surely ruin whatever happiness he appeared to have found in his elder brother. Glancing back at the pair once more, he saw the slight smile on his master's face. When had the last time his master had smiled like that been?

And just like that, he decided he couldn't do it. His master seemed to be happy, to be content, for once in his life. Even if they were brought together under questionable circumstances, that was not important right now. He would just keep this information to himself as he had with so many other pieces of information. After all, with the life Lord Inuyasha had led, the least he could do was try and make sure his master found happiness.

With one last glance to his lord, who was falling back to sleep in the arms of his still-new mate, Myouga went to go find the rest of his master's pack. His master would not be down for quite some time yet, he was sure.

- - - - -

So, now one of the other main characters knows about it. (Just imagine finding out THAT way. LOL) The rest just need to find out.

As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing. I appreciate them both immensely.

P.S. Most of the sex scene was removed (about 1 page's worth), if you are interested in reading the uncensored version, it is available on both mediaminer . org and adultfanfiction . net


	49. Unwanted Help

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 48: Unwanted Help

Inuyasha awoke feeling unusually warm and protected. He could not remember the last time he had actually felt like this. Maybe he had never felt like this before. Even when his mother had been alive, there had always been that uneasiness present, but not this morning. And, as such, he was loathe to open his eyes and destroy this fantasy that his groggy mind had obviously created.

But, even as he lay there, feeling completely comfortable, his instincts refused to allow him to just rest without taking full stock of the situation first. He had lived on his own for too long, been responsible for his own safety for too long, there was no way for him to accept even something that felt as good as this at face value.

To fulfill this desire to be aware of the world around him, he took in a deep breath and carefully sorted through the smells that the air brought to him. There was, of course, the almost overpowering scent of his elder brother and sex, as if his own short term memory and the dried stickiness in slightly uncomfortable places was not enough of a reminder of that in and of itself.

He allowed himself a small smile and self-conscious blush at that thought. He had been a little aggressive himself during their most recent encounter, not that anyone could blame him with his prim and proper elder brother lavishing him with such attention. It would be enough to snap the control of the most reserved individual, leaving Inuyasha with no chance against it. He could feel himself getting turned on again just thinking about it.

Being the center of his older brother's affections was certainly not somewhere he had ever expected to be, but he wasn't complaining. If it meant he got that kind of love and attention all the time, he was pretty sure he could even get himself to accept being the bitch in this relationship of theirs.

Not wanting to get any deeper into it than he was already, he forcefully shoved that introspection away for the moment (knowing well that if he continued in that vein, nothing else would get accomplished) he took in another deep breath. This time, he ignored the overwhelming scent of his mate and their mating in favor of the other smells he could pick up.

Carefully analyzing and categorizing them subconsciously, he had already starting matching up the scents of his pack to their names before it even registered in his head. However, by the time he got to placing Kirara's scent, he remembered they were not supposed to be there and sat up with a start.

Ignoring his mate who had sat up as well, immediately alert at his sudden movement, Inuyasha started to look frantically around for his clothes. All the while, trying to figure out what they were doing here. He hadn't told them where he was going. That must have meant that they followed his scent trail all the way here.

This was not good. They would have tracked him all the way here in the middle of mating season. They could have been killed! What were they thinking? He knew that it had already occurred to him that they might not realize it was mating season and how dangerous it was to be out and about during this time, but he had not seriously considered them finding their way all the way here.

That was almost a week's travel with the way his group moved. A week's travel through forests that would be teeming with demons who were more on edge than usual. A week's travel without his protection. How could they have been so careless? He hadn't smelt any of their blood, but all that meant was that they might have been here long enough for their injuries to have healed.

As he was contemplating this, he was pulling on his clothes as fast as possible. He had to see them, just to make sure they were alright. Not all injuries left blood behind. He took small comfort in having found all of their scents. At least none of them were dead.

He was so busy with his self-appointed task, that he barely registered his mate asking him a question. "What is the problem?"

Looking back at Sesshoumaru, he answered in a harassed sounding voice, "They're here."

Continuing to pull on his clothes and tie the appropriate ties, he ignored the way his brother looked quizzical for a moment before sniffing the air delicately. When his mate responded, "Ah, your pack," and immediately began to get dressed himself, Inuyasha had no idea what to make of it.

Shaking off his confusion, Inuyasha turned to the sliding panel and was about to open it to go find said pack when he heard a request to wait a moment. Turning back to his brother, he saw that Sesshoumaru was, in fact, almost entirely dressed already. In fact the only thing that had yet to be put on was the obi that should have hung around his brother's waist.

Noticing the speculative look that his mate was giving him, Inuyasha asked, "What?"

"Do you recall how to tie the knot for the obi? Normally, I would have a servant assist, but, since you are here, and I do not believe you wish to wait that long…"

To say he was shocked by this admission of a weakness would be an understatement. To have his great and powerful brother ask for his assistance in anything… It made his heart leap knowing that not only had his mate admitted a weakness to him willingly, but had even asked for his aid. This was the first time Inuyasha could ever recall Sesshoumaru asking for his help with ANYTHING. Maybe his big brother was finally beginning to accept him, not just because his youki wanted him as a mate, but because he was starting to accept HIM, Inuyasha, his little half-breed brother. If Inuyasha were the type, he would have squealed for joy.

Hoping that his sheer delight at this turn of events was not showing on his face, he answered, "Of course I remember," and, walking up to him confidently, he reached out and took the obi from his elder brother's hand. Easily wrapping it around his mate's waist, he set about trying to knot it correctly. He wasn't lying when he said he remembered how to do it, but, truth to be told, the last time he had actually had to do it, his mother was still alive. Needless to say, that was a VERY long time ago and his fingers had been much smaller then.

As it was, it took him much longer to complete the knot than it should have and he was silently wondering to himself why the hell his brother couldn't just use the simple ties like he did. They were so much easier to tie together. Looking at his handiwork, he almost cringed at how it only bore a passing resemblance to what his mate's obi normally looked like.

'Well,' he thought to himself before looking up at his mate's waiting face, 'at least it isn't falling off.'

He wasn't sure what he was expecting to see in his brother's eyes. After his experiences over the past couple of weeks, he no longer felt he had a very good grip on what was going on in the youkai lord's head. However, he had not been expecting to see the almost approving affection hiding in the gaze behind the normal indifference.

And it was for that reason, more than anything else, that he found himself suddenly grabbing his mate and pulling him into his arms. He ignored the initial stiffness and continued to hold on until Sesshoumaru once again relaxed. He knew he was not making much sense at the moment. Knew it, but he couldn't do a thing to stop it. All he knew was that he had pleased his mate, at least a little, and it had set him on such a high.

His whole life, Inuyasha had wanted to please his elder brother. Not submit to him, no, but please him, most definitely. It was just that nothing he ever did seemed to make the youkai lord happy. But now, for whatever reason, he had done something right in his mate's eyes. It was the most exhilarating feeling in the world.

After a time that was much too short for Inuyasha, he felt a light kiss dropped on his head and Sesshoumaru's voice informing him that they still needed to go see about his friends. At this, Inuyasha shot back from his brother in surprise. He had completely forgotten about them. Oh, this was not good, if this was a precursor to how much attention he was going to be able to pay to them now that he was mated… Not good at all.

He felt himself being led from the room and down to where the scents of his friends were by a hand on his back and was only just able to snap back into himself enough to step away from the hand right before they entered the room. He had to break out of this daze he seemed to be in. With a quick shake of his head to try once again to clear it, he slid open the panel.

He was glad when his mate seemed to receive his silent message to give him some space and remained at the doorway while Inuyasha stepped fully into the room. The first to notice his presence was Kagome and, as soon as she did, she flung herself at him, screaming, "Inuyasha!"

Instinctively catching her, he was a little shocked when she cried out, "You're still alive!" while patting him up and down as if to make sure that it was really him.

"Of course I'm still alive! What the hell are you talking about, bitch?" Inuyasha yelled, pulling away from Kagome.

"She thought Sesshoumaru might have killed you, you jerk!" screamed Shippo in response.

At this, instead of getting mad at Shippo like he normally would, he turned disbelieving eyes onto Kagome. "If you thought he killed me, what the HELL are you doing here? What were you planning to do exactly? Kill him?"

As he thought about it more, the idea only served to enrage him, not over concern for his mate's safety (he was quite capable of handling himself against a band of humans, after all), but over concern for his pack's safety. "For God's sake, wench! If he killed me, you wouldn't stand a chance! None of you would! Don't you think anything through? You just thought you could come here and kill Sesshoumaru as what? Revenge?"

He ignored the shocked looks on his friends' faces. They obviously had no idea what they were getting into and Inuyasha decided to set them straight. "Assuming his guards didn't slaughter you outright, he wouldn't even think twice about killing you. You're no more than a bunch of humans. He wouldn't even bother to bury your bodies. And then where would you be? Where would the quest be?" By this point, he wasn't even entirely sure what was coming out of his mouth. All he knew was that the thought of his elder brother killing his entire pack was scaring him half to death and he responded in the only way that he could. Anger.

"How could you do something so fucking stupid, bitch?" was the last thing he shouted at her before she responded with her one word response to every argument they had.

"SIT! SIT! SIT!" all yelled in quick succession. And, now that he knew what to look for, he could feel the youki drawing off him. He supposed in any other instance he would have been more interested in this and it would not have affected him as badly. But with how his month had been going, he wasn't overly surprised to find himself feeling lightheaded again.

However, he was not so out of it that he did not feel the highly identifiable presence of his mate quickly approaching the girl. Instantaneously worrying for her life, he managed to force out a whispered, "Please don't kill her," right before he hit the ground and the world went black. He was sure that his brother had heard him, but he wasn't so sure he would honor the request.

- - - - -

I know, not as long as you're used to. Next one might be longer. It all depends on how the chapter forms itself.

As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing.


	50. Sitting Issues

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 49: Sitting Issues

Sesshoumaru jerked awake as he felt his mate sit up at his side. He quickly tuned his senses into finding any possible danger that might have upset his younger brother and, finding none, turned his attention back to Inuyasha who was busy getting dressed as quickly as possible.

At first he was puzzled by his little brother's movements until he realized that his young mate's pack was here, at his castle. Instantly understanding that this is what was agitating Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru began to dress as well. He was not about to let his baby brother face his pack alone. Or go anywhere alone for quite some time in any event.

As it was, he quickly dressed as much as he was able, tying the simple ties on the lower layers with an ease that came from much practice with only having one hand available for use. However, there was no way he could tie the much more complicated knot in the obi with only one hand. He briefly considered not wearing it all, well aware that his mate would not have the patience to wait for a servant to come do it, but that would mean appearing before his younger brother's pack partially undressed. He did not like that idea.

It was then that another possible option came to him. He could always ask his new mate to do it for him. But seeing as he had no idea if the pup even knew how to do it in the first place… Beyond frustrated, he put aside his pride momentarily and simply asked Inuyasha if he knew how to do it.

He knew he had made the right decision when he saw a light come on in his mate's eyes. If all it took to please his baby brother was a slight admission of a relatively insignificant weakness every now and again, Sesshoumaru thought he might be able to force himself into doing it, if for no other reason, then to make his young mate happy.

When he had first come to the conclusion that he needed to somehow make up for the hell he had caused his mate in the past, he had thought it would be a daunting task, but he was slowly beginning to realize that his baby brother was actually fairly easy to please. All he seemed to want was a bit of positive attention from his elder brother. It made him wonder at just how little positive attention his mate had received in his life that he would be so contented with these tiny offerings Sesshoumaru was able to give him.

It was truly amazing to the inuyoukai that even in asking him to perform the task of a servant, his brother was more than happy to oblige. Sesshoumaru pulled himself from his mental musings and focused on his mate who was already at work tying the knot in his obi.

Watching Inuyasha tie his obi was one of the more amusing things he had ever seen. It was obvious to him that, while the hanyou knew quite well how it was supposed to work, he was insanely out of practice. His intense concentration on his task was evident in the furrow in his brow, the gnawing on his lower lip, and how his fingers kept stumbling over the moves. Sesshoumaru idly wondered if the last time he had done this was when his mother was still alive.

Despite that, he found himself quite pleased with the end result. It might not have been as perfectly proportioned or smoothed out as his servants made it, but it was obvious to him that it was the level best his mate could do at the moment. Normally, that would not have stopped him from sneering at his younger brother over where he had failed, but today he felt honored that his mate would try so hard to please him.

At least part of this attitude must have shown in his face, for the next thing he felt was his mate flinging himself at him. Out of sheer reflex, he stiffened against the sudden assault. When his common sense finally kicked in and he realized that there was no threat here, he allowed himself to relax. In fact, he would have been content to stay here for the rest of the day, seeing as he could not even recall the last time he had been held and his mate smelled so wonderful, but he then recalled why they had been getting dressed in the first place.

Unable to stop himself, he placed a gentle kiss on the top of his mate's head, right between his ears before pulling away and reminding him of their previous engagement. Guiding his younger brother from the room, he took note of the daze the hanyou seemed to be in. If he had been the type, he would have smiled. It was obvious to him that mating season was still having quite the effect on his mate. Not that he, himself, was unaffected, but he was holding up much better against it than his younger partner.

However, that was not to say that he wasn't planning exactly what he would do to his little brother as soon as this business was finished. Glancing over at his young mate who was still lost in his daze, Sesshoumaru mentally licked his lips. Oh, yes. He would have a marvelous time with his delicious baby brother when this affair was completed.

He watched in some amusement as Inuyasha finally forced himself out of his daze right as they reached the room his friends were in. He almost laughed when his baby brother shook his head forcefully and then righted his shoulders as if he was about to do battle. Seeing the determined look on his face, Sesshoumaru decided to just stay back and see what happened. He would not be too far away to help if need be, but the humans would not be overly concerned for his presence either.

As he watched the miko literally fling herself into his mate's arms, it was all he could do not to rip her away from him. However, he was not able to stop the growl from coming to the surface. Thankfully, it was low enough that no one else in the room noticed it.

He then listened to his brother rant and rave at his pack for the stupidity that had been displayed in coming here in the first place. He wasn't about to argue with the hanyou, he happened to completely agree with what was being said and was finding it refreshing to see that his younger brother did in fact have the ability to take charge of his pack if need be. He had been left wondering on that count several times in the past.

It was all going fine to Sesshoumaru's mind up until the point when that girl used that blasted necklace on his mate. He mentally raved, 'How dare she do such thing? Inuyasha had been making a perfectly valid point. If she hurt my mate or possible pup…' He didn't even pause for a moment to consider what to do before he was already across the room and had that miko of his brother's hanging by her neck.

He heard the faint voice of his mate beg him not to kill her and it was all he could do to not snap her neck here and now. As it was, he was already squeezing her neck hard enough that she was beginning to change colors, not that he was paying attention to it at the moment. No, right now his attention was on his mate who had yet to rise from being thrown to the ground.

He put out his senses to determine how his mate's youki levels were doing and, when he felt that they were lower than they were earlier, his hand unconsciously tightened around the neck of the miko who was the cause of the drain.

He was so caught up in his mate that he did not even notice another enter the room and walk over to him. It was not until his hand was being pried from the neck of the human girl that he even took note of the new presence. Sparing the briefest of glances, he noticed that it was in fact the witch who was trying to force him to release her.

He growled at her although it did not appear to make much difference as she merely looked at him and asked, "Do you not have more important things to do at this time than choke a human girl?" while looking meaningfully down at his mate.

He followed the gaze, immediately understanding her meaning, before looking her in the eye. "You will not allow her to escape," he stated rather than asked.

"Of course not, Lord of the West. I shall keep an eye on her while you tend to your little brother."

With a curt nod, he released the now limp girl into the waiting arms of the witch and dropped to the ground next to his mate. Pulling him out of the hole, he quickly thought back on everything he knew about what had just happened. The necklace had pulled youki out of his brother and Inuyasha would need to replenish it.

He spotted Jaken out of the corner of his eye and ordered, "Jaken, bring me a pair of rabbits," before turning his attention once more onto his mate. Not willing to put his guard down enough to go into a trance around these treacherous humans, he fed as much youki as he could into his brother while still remaining alert.

Sturaki's POV

Sturaki had been meditating in the room that had been given to her. The past few days had really been trying her patience. Between dealing with the mating problems that the dog brothers would have never had were it not for overbearing nonsense and dealing with Inuyasha's pack and their constant questions, she was at her wit's end to say nothing of the pounding headache she had found herself developing over the past week.

At least one of the problems was solved it seemed. She sighed in relief, some of her tension floating away. As soon as they had gotten enough rest, she had no doubt the newly mated couple would be good to go, at least for the moment. They certainly were getting along much better now than they had been earlier.

Her only concern was what would happen when they met up with Inuyasha's pack. It could not be anything good. At the very least, they would be facing the opposition with a united front, and she supposed there was something to be said for that.

It was just after she thought that that she felt the floor shake through her trance. Her eyes snapped open and she was immediately alert once again. No matter what caused the shake, it was not a good thing. Running in the direction it came from; she saw a scene she had really been hoping to avoid.

Standing in the middle of the room was the towering figure of the youkai lord, one hand encircled around the delicate neck of the miko whose feet were no longer touching the ground. On the other side of the room were the rest of the members of Inuyasha's pack, looking like they were trying to figure out how to save their friend without further angering the youkai. And in the ground at Sesshoumaru's feet was Inuyasha.

Several curses ran through her head as she approached the enraged alpha in the middle of the room. She knew what he was after, revenge for hurting his mate. However, the fact that the girl in his hand was not dead yet was a definite indication that he did not intend to slay her just now. She presumed that it was Inuyasha's influence at work for she could see no other reason why he would not have killed her yet.

Realizing that he was paying no attention to her whatsoever, she tried to come up with a way to draw his attention. The easiest thing to do would be to simply remove his hand from the girl. However, she was not going to be able to do that by herself. Looking over to the humans who were still just standing there, she quietly asked Miroku to come help her.

He looked from her to Sesshoumaru's red eyes and back before she lost her patience and asked him if he wanted to help Kagome or not. That galvanized him into action. When he came up to her, she instructed him to raise her up to the youkai's hand. Still looking skeptical, he did as she directed and she attempted to remove the hand before he accidentally managed to completely crush the young girl's windpipe.

After she managed to convince the infuriated youkai that it would be much more important to look after the care of his mate than to worry about this girl and promised that she would not escape, he released Kagome into Sturaki's waiting hands. This would have been ok, but for the fact that Kagome was much taller and heavier than her and she was being held up by someone else in the first place. As it was, as soon as the miko was in her hands, they all collapsed backwards like a line of dominoes and had a not-so-nice meeting with the floor.

Getting up, she instructed Miroku to move Kagome away from the dog brothers. When they were a safe distance away, she asked him to lay her down on the ground and took a better look at her. Some of the color was beginning to return to her face already, but she could clearly see the finger marks. They were already bruising up quite a bit.

She sighed. There was very little she could do for the girl where they were, but she could not exactly leave the newly mated couple either. As it was, she knew that receiving any type of assistance for the girl in this household would prove difficult. Without the aid of Sesshoumaru's protection, they would not help her. In fact, there was some danger of them actually harming her once it was found out that she had hurt the Lord's mate.

She was so concerned with the problems this could potentially cause that she did not notice the slayer and smaller demons move closer with a large, yellow bag. When the slayer knelt down next to her and began to get out medicinal herbs, Sturaki thanked her lucky stars. THIS was something she could work with.

As she set to work on putting together a poultice to speed the healing of the young miko's throat, she listened to the whispered conversation happening between the slayer and the monk.

"What do you make of Sesshoumaru's behavior, Sango?"

"I don't know. It was almost like he was trying to protect Inuyasha."

"Yes, that is how it seemed to me as well," Miroku replied. "Do you believe Inuyasha is safe in his care?"

"He doesn't seem to want to hurt him," Sango stated with an assessing look at the demon lord.

"But what is he doing? He looks like he's just sitting there, holding Inuyasha."

"Maybe it's a dog demon healing ritual of some sort. I've never heard of it, but he IS a royal dog demon, we don't run into them very often."

It was just then that Sesshoumaru's small, green servant ran back into the room, carrying two squirming rabbits. "Are these what you wanted, my lord?" he asked, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste to get to his lord.

"I wonder what the rabbits are for," she heard Shippo whisper.

"I have no idea," came the response from both Miroku and Sango at the same time.

Sturaki knew exactly what they were for of course and thought it was a good bit of foresight on the lord of the west's part to have had his servant get them. Now they only had to see if it would work.

"Hold them there, Jaken," Sesshoumaru ordered, not even looking at the small demon who was still struggling with holding onto his burden. And then, to his mate, he said, "Inuyasha, you must awaken, I have brought you rabbits."

When there was no response, he became more commanding in his tone, "Inuyasha, awaken, you must eat."

To the great surprise of the rest of Inuyasha's pack, the hanyou groaned and slowly opened his eyes whispering, "What the hell do you want?"

"You need to eat," he informed his mate before ordering, "Jaken, give him a rabbit."

And, always willing to follow his lord's commands, Jaken quickly gave one of the rabbits to Inuyasha who sniffed it. Immediately after he ascertained that it was, indeed, a rabbit, a wolfish smile crossed his face and, after snapping its neck, he began to devour it raw, while his mate watched on completely impassive and his pack members tried to fight down their nausea.

After finishing the first rabbit, he reached for the second rabbit from Jaken who gave it up rather quickly, especially under his master's watchful eye and after having seen the ravenous gleam in the hanyou's eye. Finishing off the second rabbit in a similar fashion to the first, Inuyasha then turned his attention to his mate.

"Are you full, little brother? Do you require more rabbits?"

"No, I'm ok."

Sesshoumaru gave a curt nod, but when it did not appear that his little brother was going to go back to sleep, he asked, "Was there something else, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah. You didn't kill Kagome did you?"

"That miko of yours?" At the nod of affirmation, he replied, "She is still alive."

"Good."

"Is that all?" the youkai lord asked, once again receiving a nod in response. "Then go back to sleep."

They watched in shock as Inuyasha gave another little nod and then snuggled back into his elder brother, going right back to sleep.

Sturaki turned her eyes back down to her patient and shook her head. Those two were going to raise a lot of questions if they kept acting like this. On the one hand, she was quite pleased that they were finally acting like mates as they should be, on the other hand, she knew that the more they did it, the more they were confusing everyone around them.

In fact, as soon as the brothers ceased talking, the others began to whisper once again.

"Well, that was certainly unusual," the monk noted.

"I have never seen Inuyasha act that way," commented the slayer.

"What do you think might be wrong with him?"

"As I said before, it might be something specific to dog demons, but I have no idea what it is."

As they tried to tease out any information they could from what they had just seen and what they thought they knew to be the case, Sturaki finished applying the poultice to Kagome. It was not until she was finished that she noticed the youngest member of their group had not only not joined in on their conversation, but appeared to almost be in tears.

Seeing that no one else was attending to the kit, she took it upon herself to do so. Walking over to the kitsune, she sat down beside him. "Shippo, what is the problem?"

Shippo looked at her in surprise, he had apparently not expected anyone to be paying any attention to him. He then promptly denied knowledge of anything. "Who me? I don't have a problem," he said in a way that she could easily see was meant to imitate Inuyasha's mannerisms.

"If you do not have a problem, then why are you so sad?" she inquired gently.

She watched the kitsune quickly glance towards the brothers in the middle of the room before looking back at her. "I'm not sad," he stated, although she didn't buy it for a minute.

"You know your father is not going to abandon you, right?" she asked in a kind voice.

Seeing that she had hit the nail on the head by the expression in his eyes, she was not surprised when he immediately responded, "My father died a long time ago."

"Not all parents are those by blood. Some of the strongest parents are those that are chosen."

As she watched, the attempt at being tough faded away completely and there was once more a very insecure child sitting in front of her. She could barely make out the whisper, "But he doesn't want me. He has a mate now. He's going to have other pups. He won't want anything more to do with me."

"Just because he will have other pups does not mean you will not hold a special place in his heart all your own. You will always be his first pup even though he did not give birth to you."

He looked like he was about to believe her when he suddenly pulled away, screaming, "You don't know that! You don't know anything! Leave me alone!" before running out of the room with tears streaming down his cheeks.

That shout had awoken the sleeping hanyou and he looked to his mate for an explanation. She could not hear the account, but she was fairly certain the youkai lord had heard exactly what they were saying despite them having been whispering. She was made sure of her supposition when Inuyasha immediately arose from his spot on his mate's lap.

"Of all the stupid, idiotic…," Inuyasha ranted under his breath, turning towards the door, undoubtedly intending to follow the kitsune.

"Inuyasha, where are you going?" asked Sango.

He barely spared her a glance and a, "Where do you think?" before turning around and walking out the door, Sesshoumaru following right behind. However, before Sesshoumaru stepped out the door, he looked back at her and said, "You will make sure she does not leave."

Nodding her head, she responded, "I will not let her out of my sight."

With one final look, he turned and followed his mate down the hall, presumably to find the kitsune. After they left, the remaining humans turned to her and began peppering her with questions about what had just happened.

She could already feel another headache coming on.

- - - - -

As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing.

P.S. Shirohane took the time to draw this really cute picture inspired by this story. If you want to see it, go to http:// s5.photobucket .com/albums/y175/hiirowing/IYProphecy.jpg (after taking out the 2 spaces)


	51. The Trials and Tribulations

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest, but, if you are in this section, you should already know that

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in, except Sturaki

- - - - -

Chapter 50: The Trials and Tribulations of Being a Kitsune

The past couple of weeks had been full of ups and downs for the young kitsune. It certainly hadn't helped that his father figure appeared to be going through a crisis of some sort and refused to explain to him exactly what was going on. He'd first thought it was a mating issue, but then discarded that idea because it hadn't fit into his world view.

In fact, the only reasonable explanation he had been able to come up with was that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had been put under some kind of spell that they desperately needed to remove. It made sense to him. It explained everything he had seen. It also fit very nicely into his world.

Having reached this (to his mind) perfect conclusion of his, he had done his duty in informing the rest of pack where their pack leader was and then filed it in the back of his mind until it was needed again. After all, people around him were always getting cursed or possessed, and they always came out of it just fine. Why should this time be any different?

It wasn't until Kagome came back through the well and he saw her reaction to the news that he began to feel somewhat concerned. If his mother was this worried about his father, perhaps it was more serious than he had thought. Trying to comfort himself by remembering that Kagome had a tendency to overreact, he was able to push those thoughts aside, but, as time went by, it became much more difficult to ignore these fears.

By the time they'd reached the witch's home, it was to the point where he was feeling nervous almost constantly and wished they would find his father soon so that his mother would stop worrying so much. For, even though he told himself that his father would be just fine, his mother being so upset was making him jumpy.

When the witch joined up with them, he was able to feel a bit of relief. Sturaki, while insisting that they needed to get there quickly, did not seem nearly as worried as his pack. Or, if she was, it was in an entirely different way. In fact, for Shippo, she brought an undeniably older demon side to the pack that had been missing along with Inuyasha.

She was a loner, didn't like being bothered, had a short temper, didn't like to mince words or see any point in explaining herself, and was determined to do what she needed to with the minimum of interruptions. In these ways, and even the way she moved, she reminded Shippo of his father. It helped Shippo to calm himself, even if it seemed to drive his mother even more insane with each passing day.

When they finally got into the palace proper, Shippo caught a whiff of his father's scent. It was not nearby and it still seemed to have the illness in it, but it was current and definitely in the palace with them. The relief he felt was indescribable. He glanced over at Kirara and noticed the cat demon had the same look of contentment on her face that Shippo was sure was on his.

And, even though the smell was a little off, there was no scent of death or blood in it. So, when the offer was made to eat instead of seeing Inuyasha right away, he jumped at the chance. He was very hungry after all. He was sure that his father would be fine while he got something in his grumbling tummy. However, coaxing his mother to eat was more difficult than he had thought it would be.

Having finally gotten everyone seated in the eating area, he was pleasantly surprised when a young human girl came in. When she was introduced to them as 'Rin', he wondered if she would be willing to play with him. It didn't look like there were any other children in the palace for her to play with after all. And so, deciding he would ask her after the meal if she was interested, Shippo went about gathering food onto his plate.

He was almost sorry Inuyasha wasn't here, too. He knew his father loved to eat as much as he did. One of his best memories with his father involved just lying around, eating for a whole day. There had been plenty of food and no need to fight over it. They had each eaten their fill while the humans were off doing other things and had taken a nice, long nap together in the afternoon. It was definitely one of his better memories.

Basking in the warmth of that memory and content to eat his food, he only listened with half an ear to the question and answer session going on with Rin. Despite himself, he began to get concerned and worry about his father. By the time Rin was explaining that Inuyasha had been upset because he hadn't wanted to be the wife, Shippo had completely forgotten the food he had been so happy to be eating not two minutes previously.

Having been around humans for so long, he was familiar with the word and understood that what he had feared must have happened. His father had been arranged to mate with some youkai, although, he was still confused about the 'wife' comment. He had assumed that his father would be mating a demoness. That would make him the husband and the demoness the wife. Shippo could see no point in mating him to another demon. Wouldn't they need to produce heirs at some point?

It was enough to make his kitsune head spin. By the end of the meal, his thoughts were chasing each other around in his head so fast that he was barely aware of the servants returning to clear away the excess and dirty dishes. Then, he rather numbly followed along as another servant led them to rooms that they would be able to use for their stay.

Upon entering the room he would be sharing with the girls, he chose a corner and sat down, in much the same way of his father, and contemplated what he had just learned. As time went by, he found himself becoming less concerned about what Rin had said. After all, she was a human. Maybe she had misunderstood what was going on, and he became more worried about his mother.

Kagome was beside herself. Sango was trying to help and calm her in any way possible, but it did not appear to be working. Shippo privately thought nothing short of seeing Inuyasha alive and talking would be enough to calm her down, but kept his thoughts to himself. The fact that his ears were still ringing from the screaming she had directed at Sturaki after being told she couldn't see Inuyasha yet only helped him draw this conclusion.

And, even though his mother probably was not trying to, it felt as if the air was being sucked out of the room by her worry and anger. And so, quite a few times, Shippo had no longer been able to stand it and would seek out Miroku. However, the monk was not much better. He seemed to be in an almost constant state of meditation and kept making odd comments.

Still in search of something to relieve his boredom and untold fears, he had tried to find Rin again, but after that first day, she had not reappeared. Remembering the look on her face when he had last seen her, though, he wasn't sure she would play with him anyway. She had looked almost as upset as Kagome did. And Myouga had disappeared again, as well. In the meantime, Shippo was getting bored out of his mind.

Then, three days after they had arrived, there was a change in the dullness. By a pure fluke they were all in one room when his father finally made his entrance. As was expected, his mother flung herself at him and he caught her. With his mother's cry of relief over his father being alive and Inuyasha's resulting insult, he forgot how happy he was to see his father again and yelled at him.

Then, the most amazing thing so far happened. His father didn't bop him on the head. Shippo stood there in shock as his father, for the first time he could remember, ignored his disrespect in favor of giving the adults in their pack a good talking to.

It wasn't until his father was halfway through his speech that Shippo abruptly remembered that it was currently mating season. In fact, it had been mating season for the entire duration of their trip. He had forgotten what his deceased father had told him about mating season, but now, seeing how enraged his current father was, which was much more furious than he should have been over them coming after Sesshoumaru if he had been killed, it all came back to him. How he was to, under no circumstances, travel, or even wander outside, during mating season. He inwardly cringed at what his deceased father would have done to him for disobeying that rule. In comparison, Inuyasha was going easy on them.

Just as he thought this, he heard his mother yell her incantation of 'sit's and cringed once again. Normally, he found some joy in this, but he was feeling guilty for not making sure they didn't travel during mating season. They were just humans, after all. How were they supposed to know when demon mating season was? He should have told them. He should have remembered.

When, seconds after the incantation, Sesshoumaru appeared next to his mother, he involuntarily jumped back. It was not that he wanted to abandon his mother, but his father's elder brother scared the living daylights out of him. It was purely instinct to go away from rather than towards such a powerful youkai. Watching helplessly as his mother dangled from the youkai lord's pale hand and his father remained in the hole much longer than he should have, he could not describe how relieved he was when Sturaki appeared in the room.

She would straighten things out in the way only a full-grown demon could, he was sure. If there was any way to get Sesshoumaru to unhand his mother, Shippo was positive Sturaki would find it, and, within minutes of entering the room, she had not only convinced the youkai lord to release Kagome, but had also started to medicate his mother's wounds.

Once he determined Kagome would be alright, he turned his attention back to the dog brothers. Ignoring the remarks by the monk and slayer, he allowed his instincts to draw its own conclusions. And the sight of the youkai lord cradling his father combined with the previous image of Sesshoumaru choking Kagome for 'sit'ing Inuyasha, led him to one conclusion. His father and Sesshoumaru were now mates.

The instant that thought registered, Shippo began to feel sick to his stomach. In his mind, this was the worst thing that could have possibly happened. Mating was not something that went away. It was not something that could be changed. It was permanent. Forever.

Rin's story came back to mind with Inuyasha's complaint about no wanting to be the wife, and it suddenly made sense now. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had mated and Sesshoumaru was the alpha mate whereas Inuyasha was the beta mate, or the 'wife', as the case may be.

His father being the beta just made everything worse for Shippo. As the beta, his father would have to go to his alpha about any decisions being made about just about everything. Even if Inuyasha himself wanted to keep him around, Shippo was sure Sesshoumaru would forbid it. After all, he was just a child left over from a part of Inuyasha's life that had drawn to a close. He might not even be allowed to see his father ever again.

With this in mind, Shippo began to feel like crying but was doing everything in his power not to. Youkai didn't cry over things like this. Besides, why should he mourn a family he never had in the first place? He had known it was too much to get his hopes up about his mother and father mating and bringing him into their family, but he hadn't been able to help himself. It was just too tempting of an idea. It was his happy ending that he would never have.

His father was leaving him once again. He wasn't dying, but he might as well have been. He would no longer want to have anything to do with him, Shippo was sure of it. He had spent too much time picking on his new father. He was positive Inuyasha was going to see this mating as the perfect excuse to never see him again and it hurt. It hurt so badly.

And then the idea occurred to him that they must have found a way to have pups. This thought which should have been a cause for joy or even curiosity, only served to upset the kitsune even further. With the possibility of having his own pups, his father would never want to see him again. After all, who would want a child who wasn't even his real son and didn't behave at all when they could have a child of their own that would be perfect in every way?

Shippo was so caught up in his thoughts he did not notice Sturaki until she began to talk to him. As such, he was at once shocked and appalled that she knew exactly what he was thinking about. Not knowing how she figured it out, he tried to be tough. He tried to be brave, but it was just too much. He ended up blurting out his greatest fear: that his father was just going to abandon him, to her and running from the room in tears, sure no one would bother to follow him.

As he ran, he passed many rooms and eventually ended up in a part of the castle he hadn't been in yet. Sniffing around quickly, he found a room that didn't get much use and decided to hide in there until he was able to get his feelings under control. Quickly and quietly pushing the door open and then shut, he glanced around realizing this must be another of the guest rooms. Not caring much about it other than the fact it was not in use now; he curled up in one corner and cried out his frustration and pain into his folded arms.

Shippo stayed there for what felt like hours, with tears falling down his cheeks. He was so caught up in feeling sorry for himself he didn't even realize when his father, the object of his current feelings of misery, came into the room. He gasped in surprise when he suddenly found himself no longer on the ground, but in his father's arms, being cradled and hushed.

Inuyasha's POV

Inuyasha grumbled under his breath while following the scent trail left by the crying, baby kitsune. It was taking everything in his power not to start cursing at the top of his lungs. Saying his meeting with the rest of his pack could have gone better was a massive understatement.

Kagome 'sit'ing him, him passing out, and Sesshoumaru trying to kill Kagome all in short order was not what he had been going for. Although, now that he thought about it, he supposed there wasn't much he could have done to prevent that particular turn of events. In fact, the only part of it he truly hadn't been expecting was Sturaki coming to Kagome's aide. He made a mental note to thank the witch later and continued on his way, ignoring his elder brother who had just appeared right behind him.

Hell, if Sesshoumaru wanted to follow him around everywhere like a lost puppy, it was no skin off his back. In all honesty, he most likely would have been more concerned about it but for the fact that he was currently trying to track down Shippo and didn't have time to spend wondering about his brother's newly acquired habit.

Finally, after traveling down a multitude of halls, he found the source of the scent behind a door. Listening carefully, he could clearly hear sniffling and muffled sobbing that accompanied the tears already saturating Shippo's normal scent. Damn, he hated it when they cried.

Steeling himself for the encounter, he slowly slid the panel open, not wanting to frighten the already distraught kitsune. However, the sight that greeted him upon entrance to the room broke his heart. His adoptive son was huddled in a corner, bawling as if the world was ending and all anger that had been in him immediately fled.

Without being able to stop himself, he quickly walked across the room and picked up the baby kitsune, cradling him to his chest. Switching their positions so that he was now the one sitting in the corner with Shippo on his lap, he tried to remember what Kagome did to comfort the kitsune's tears. Latching upon the idea of talking softly, he was suitably impressed when it seemed to have the same positive effect on his son that it did when Kagome did it.

When Shippo looked up at him once again, drying the tears from his eyes, Inuyasha asked, "Oi, runt, what's all this about?" in a much less harsh tone than he was used to using with the kitsune.

He watched as Shippo dropped his head and swallowed, seemingly ashamed of his tears. "Don't worry about it, it's just stupid," came the mumbled response.

Looking down at the kitsune, he was at a complete loss. Kagome would know what to do in this situation, he was sure of it. But he didn't have Kagome here right now and if he was serious about keeping Shippo as his own, he would need to figure out how to take care of this without Kagome's help. The main problem was, he could barely remember how his mother used to comfort him when he was younger and he was not his mother. He didn't have her mannerisms nor did he have her gentle smile or loving heart. He himself didn't know the first thing about comforting someone else. Growing up, he had not even been able to comfort himself half the time.

Allowing his head to fall back against the wall, he released a soft groan and looked at the ceiling. Who was he kidding? He just wasn't cut out for this kind of thing. With an exasperated sound, Inuyasha finally settled on, "Look, runt, I suck at this, ok? We both know that I am the last person in the universe who should be comforting anyone. Hell, you know as well as I do that half the time when I try to comfort Kagome, she only gets more upset."

He could clearly hear Shippo's giggle. "Yeah, and then she 'sit's you and goes home, dog boy."

Inuyasha groaned once again, the runt just had to bring that up didn't he? "Don't remind me, runt," Inuyasha said and mumbled, "My poor back," through another groan. This only made Shippo laugh harder.

Getting irritated at being laughed at, Inuyasha turned his attention back onto the kitsune. "Oi, runt, knock it off. It ain't that funny."

When his only response was continued laughter, he turned his head in a huff and tried ignoring the kitsune. However, he wasn't as mad as he was making himself out to be. He was actually quite pleased his son was no longer crying. He would much rather have Shippo laughing than crying, even if it was at his expense.

Waiting until the laughter had died down to just the occasional snicker, Inuyasha turned his attention onto the baby kitsune once again. "So, you gonna tell me what had you so upset earlier or what?"

He watched as Shippo's head dropped down again. "It doesn't matter. It's nothing."

With a sigh, Inuyasha realized he wasn't going to be able to convince Shippo to tell him the problem. The kitsune was too embarrassed to bring it up himself. However, from what he had gathered from Sesshoumaru, he had a pretty good idea of why the kitsune was upset. But how could he help to allay his son's fears? He couldn't just tell him outright that he wanted Shippo to be his son could he? What if the kitsune rejected him? What if Sesshoumaru decided to make his presence known and forbid it? He had only just begun to feel what having a family was really like; he didn't want to go back to being alone again.

However, never being one to back down from something just because it was difficult, he bit the bullet and, directing his gaze to a point about a foot in front of his face, said, "You know what, runt? I've been thinking. What with me and Sesshoumaru being mated and all, I gotta figure out what to do with you."

He felt Shippo move in his arms but refused to look down at him. He knew if he saw the expression on his adoptive son's face, he wouldn't be able to continue with what he had to say. "My first thought was to just leave you with Kagome and them, you know, because I know how attached you are to her. But, then I was thinking, they're all humans. You're a demon. What do they know about raising a demon? Keh, I bet it's even less than I do. And don't even get me started on the whole aging thing.

"My second thought was that if you lived with me, I would at least know you were being taught how to survive in the demon world. Now, I realize I'm not the best at being all caring and shit like that, but what demon, or, I guess in my case, half-demon, is? Certainly not any I've ever met. But even without that, you'd survive. You'd live. You wouldn't get cut down at the first sign of danger. You would know how to fight. And, perhaps, most importantly, I would still be around until you were old enough to be on your own.

Turning his gaze back down to the green eyes that were looking up at him with a look he could not quite decipher in them, he laid down his final decision for the kitsune as simply and authoritatively as he could make it. "So, I came to the only conclusion I felt was right. You're going to have to stay with me, Sesshoumaru, and the rest of my pups. I know I don't pull rank all that often, but, as your alpha, I must demand you submit to this decision."

Shippo's POV

To say Shippo was shocked would be an understatement. That was by far the longest speech he had ever heard his father make. And to think, it was all about him and barely hidden concern for his welfare. Could it be that Inuyasha actually DID want him? If he didn't want him around or to ever see him again, why would he have gone to all the trouble of demanding he stay with him? Or even give the idea any consideration at all?

His head was spinning so fast with this newly acquired information, that there was only one thing he could say, "I thought you hated me."

It was his father's turn to look shocked. "Where the fuck did you ever get a stupid idea like THAT from, Shippo?"

"You're always bonking me on the head."

"Because you're always being annoying just to piss me off. Besides, you mean to tell me, you can't take a little bonk on the head? It's worse than I thought," Inuyasha responded, the last statement muttered under his breath.

His curiosity roused, Shippo asked, "What's worse than you thought?"

He watched his father sigh and then respond, "Nothing."

Curiosity not assuaged in the least, Shippo continued to wheedle him. "Come on, tell me. What's worse than you thought?"

"He is referring to the handicap in your training no doubt brought on by being in the presence of humans for so long." The response came, not from his father, but from Sesshoumaru who had apparently been standing in the doorway this entire time, although Shippo had only just noticed his presence.

"What do you mean? What handicap? There's nothing wrong with living with humans," Shippo began, not really understanding what they were getting at.

"Runt," Inuyasha said in a commanding tone which immediately drew his attention back to him. "How far has your training progressed since you have joined the group?"

Still not really understanding where his father was going with this, he responded, "I've gotten better at my tricks. I can also transform better now."

He watched Inuyasha nod. "Good. Now, how is your tracking? Hunting? Fighting skills? Hiding techniques? Have any of them progressed since you joined my pack? If I dropped you off in the middle woods and came back a week later, would you still be alive?"

Taken aback by all the questions being thrown at him, Shippo could only blink at his father. "Do you want to know what I've observed?" Inuyasha asked and Shippo responded with a slight nod, not really sure what to expect.

With a deep breath, his father gave him his evaluation of his current levels and where his father believed he should be by this point in time. He had not realized that even in the areas he was proud of himself for his accomplishments in; Inuyasha still believed he was not quite up to the level he should be at.

When he had attempted to argue that he had in fact made progress in those areas, his father was very quick to point out he had only made progress because of his natural affinity for transforming and playing tricks, not because he actually put any effort into it. In fact, Inuyasha was arguing that if he were to actually put time and effort into his training, he would be much further along in both his transformations and tricks than he was right now.

Finally, when he felt like he couldn't take anymore, his father stopped and the truly serious, almost scary, look he had on his face the entire evaluation, was replaced with a much more normal one. "Don't worry about it so much, runt. I'm sure we can catch you up in no time."

He looked up with a hopeful look, "You really think so?"

"Keh. Sure. But it's not going to be easy. There's a lot of work that goes into becoming a truly great youkai. And, I won't lie to you, I'm not about to coddle you like Kagome does. You're going to get hurt, you're going to get tired, you're going to have to do things you don't want to do, and if I don't think you're doing your best, there WILL be consequences you will NOT like."

Hardly able to believe that Inuyasha was actually offering to TRAIN him, he quickly promised he would try his hardest. It wasn't until after he had made this promise, that he thought to turn his attention to the, once again, silent youkai lord standing in the doorway. Sesshoumaru's face looked as impassive as ever, as if what they were discussing was not a matter that would affect him directly but something not even worthy of his notice.

Hadn't he just been thinking that if Sesshoumaru was Inuyasha's alpha, he would be making the final decision as to whether or not Shippo would be allowed to even SEE Inuyasha again? Given that the powerful youkai lord had yet to make a comment on the matter either way since they had begun talking, Shippo began to worry once again.

He wanted to ask Sesshoumaru if it was alright for his father to take him into his care or if it was going to get his father into trouble with his mate, but could not find the courage to do so. Instead, he turned to Inuyasha and asked him, "Inuyasha, are you sure you can offer me this? Don't you have to talk it over with Sesshoumaru first?"

Once again, he was not answered by his father, but by the cold voice of the youkai lord. "Do you truly intend to learn the ways of the youkai? Do you truly intend to work hard and sacrifice to become a being worthy of being in my household?"

Looking back at the youkai lord, he swallowed hard when he realized those cold, calculating eyes were boring right into his eyes. Barely able to get his voice to work, he responded with a raspy, "Yes, I do."

He released a sigh of relief when the eyes left his and another one when he heard the response, "Then I see no reason to try and separate my mate from his son."

It was not until he heard his father choke that he realized exactly what Sesshoumaru had said. Had he just called him Inuyasha's son OUT LOUD? True, he had been thinking it in his mind for a long time now, but to have it stated aloud, by the cold youkai lord nonetheless, he didn't know what to make of it. And, judging by the look on his father's face, he didn't either.

In fact, his father was resembling nothing so much as a very red, gapping fish at the moment. If it had been any other situation, he would have been laughing hysterically. But, in this situation, he was fairly sure that he had the same look on his face. This assumption was only confirmed when Sesshoumaru stepped fully into the room, closing the panel behind him, before walking over to them.

- - - - -

Hey all! First off, Happy Holidays! Second off, this chapter (the first part especially) was insanely difficult for me to write. Add to that the fact that my girls have been sick with a stomach virus these past couple weeks, and it all equals a very slow update. Hope you like the chapter and I wish all of you who are traveling this time of year safe travels.

Thanks for reading and/or reviewing. Both are much appreciated.


	52. Acceptance of a Son

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in, except Sturaki

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Chapter 51: Acceptance of a Son

After ascertaining that the witch had that human female of his brother's well in hand, Sesshoumaru turned to follow his mate. He knew exactly where the inuhanyou was headed, but decided to just allow him to lead for the time being. Besides, he was reminding himself, it really was more of his little brother's problem than his after all.

As he followed Inuyasha down yet another hall, his mind went back to the priestess who was still unconscious on the floor back in the room they had just left. That damn wench. The only thing that had saved her had been his mate asking for her life. Even then it had been a near thing.

'How dare she try to hurt my mate or possible pup?' Sesshoumaru fumed. 'I will have to impress upon her the foolishness of that action when she comes to,' he thought with a sadistic smirk, 'and nothing my little hanyou has to say will stop me.'

He was so busy plotting the appropriate punishment for that damnable human that he barely noticed when they stopped and his mate went into a room. Idly noting that it was one of the less frequently used guest rooms, Sesshoumaru forcefully shoved aside his scheming in favor of observing the scene in front of him.

Standing impassively in the doorway, he watched and listened to his baby brother soothe the kitsune. Just taking the scene in was having a rather calming effect on his own nerves. In the back of his mind, he was shocked at how comforting he, Sesshoumaru, found the soft murmurs coming from his mate. In the place of the kitsune, he had mentally placed one of his own pups and smiled slightly at the scene. His mate was going to be so good with their pups.

Realizing that the kitsune, his younger brother's adoptive son, had stopped crying, he turned his attention to the conversation between the two. Once again, he was struck by how different his little brother's relationship was with his pack than the one he had with his own pack. Neither Jaken nor Rin would ever dare to refuse to answer a direct question, no matter how much they might not have wanted to. And they certainly would never dream of making fun of him or laughing at him.

And yet, he realized in shock, Inuyasha was not even upset by this turn of events. He was easily able to see the concern when his questions were not answered and the almost relief that was badly covered up with annoyance when the kitsune began to laugh even though it was at his own expense. But even with all that, what happened next shocked him the most.

His little brother very calmly and rationally laying out why he thought the kitsune should stay with them as opposed to the rest of his group left him just as speechless as the youngest demon. He had always thought that there must be a good deal of intelligence hidden in his young mate's mind. Other wise, how would he have survived this long? But to see it displayed in such a manner…

It was like a weight being lifted from his shoulders. Maybe his younger brother wouldn't be as far out of his league with the other higher level youkai as he had feared.

He hadn't consciously admitted to it, but ever since he had started to seriously consider taking his baby brother as his mate, one of his main concerns had been his general lack of diplomacy. His mate was more of the type to just jump in and start a fight with someone that did not agree with him or insulted him. And, in the world of the youkai lords, that could quite possibly mean starting a full-blown war with one who, up until that point, had been an ally.

In fact, if he was perfectly honest with himself, that was one of the main reasons he had for not wanting to mate with his younger brother (after he got past the whole half-demon male thing). But, after seeing this display, he was beginning to think that he may have judged his little brother a bit too rashly. Perhaps it was not that Inuyasha had no idea how to be diplomatic, but, rather, that he did not often find a time or place to use his skills. Or, more likely, he just had no interest in using these skills in day to day life.

Mentally shaking himself from this train of thought, he brought himself back to the conversation taking place in front of him. He found himself giving his opinion of the situation without even consciously thinking about it. Internally berating himself for getting involved in this and drawing attention to himself, he was grateful to his younger brother for bringing the kitsune's notice back onto him.

And, he was even more pleased that it happened that way because he got the opportunity to hear his little brother's opinion on what was needed for one to become a suitable youkai. Listening very carefully to what Inuyasha was laying out for his son; Sesshoumaru found himself wondering who had explained all of this to him. For, to his immense shock, he was finding himself agreeing with many of the points his young mate was making.

Now, he realized that there were things not being mentioned. But, when he really thought about it, for your average youkai, the skills that were being skipped over were not overly important ones for them to have. In fact, with the exception of dealing with youkai nobility, he himself never even made use of them. And in realizing this, he also realized something else about the way Inuyasha had been trained or not trained as the case may be.

He had been trained in how to be an average youkai rather than a youkai lord. Given his history, this was not so surprising, but it did give a starting point. Perhaps his mate would be more willing to submit to the training if Sesshoumaru laid out the strengths and weaknesses currently in his knowledge in a similar manner to the one he was using with the kitsune, the youkai lord mused. It was definitely something to consider, in any event.

Tabling those thoughts for the moment, the elder youkai listened to the deal that his young mate was making with his son. He noted with some amusement that Inuyasha was giving far more warnings than he would have. Although, he supposed that there might be some basis for it from what he could recall about the wench they had traveled with. Many of the behaviorisms of the kitsune seemed to be those of a child who was used to having his own way and needed to be disciplined. And if his mate was willing to do the disciplining, he had no problem with it. But, just to make sure that they all knew who was in charge; he elicited a promise from the child as well.

However, after seeing the response that his acceptance of the kitsune as his young mate's son garnered, Sesshoumaru realized that this issue was, in fact, far from being resolved. With a sigh, he stepped into the room and closed the panel behind him. While it might not be looked down upon for a beta and a pup to be having these types of conversations, it would not do for anyone to come across him, the alpha and a youkai lord, behaving in a similar fashion.

After making sure the entranceway was secured, Sesshoumaru walked over to the two in the corner who still wore shocked looks on their faces and sat down himself. It would be best if this situation was dealt with on relatively even footing. In fact, he remained unconvinced that it had more to do with him than with his younger brother anyway.

"You appear to be shocked that I have called the kitsune your son, little brother," Sesshoumaru began, deciding to jump straight to the most immediate issue.

He watched closely as his mate tried to feign indifference, "Keh. Of course I'm shocked. Who the hell said the runt was my son?"

"Then perhaps I was incorrect," the youkai lord replied in a calm voice.

"Of course you were."

"If that is the case, then I must revoke what I said earlier. The kitsune will not be allowed to remain here with us." Sesshoumaru watched his young mate's eyes widen at that and prepared for the verbal assault. It was too easy to set his baby brother off sometimes.

"Who the hell asked you anyway, you bastard? He'll stay if I want him to stay! I don't need your damn permission!"

"You appear to be forgetting who the alpha in this relationship is, Inuyasha. Your kitsune realized that you would require my permission. If such a young child could see it, why can you not?"

"I don't care if you're the alpha! Hell, I don't care if you became a god when I wasn't looking! You have no say in this! If you won't let the runt stay, then I'll leave!"

Sesshoumaru could easily see just how much this was getting to his young mate and decided to play it a little further. "Why are you so adamant about this, younger brother? It's just an orphan kitsune. There are plenty of them around. Are you intending to collect them all?"

"Don't be stupid, Sesshoumaru," came the huffed response.

"If you cannot give me a suitable reason to allow the kitsune to remain here, I will be forced to require him to leave with the humans when they leave. I cannot have a baby kitsune running around my home unaccompanied."

He was aware of an annoyed look spreading over his mate's face and the way Inuyasha's arms were tightening protectively around the kitsune in his lap. "I'll take care of him, Sesshoumaru, if that's what you're so worried about. I wasn't planning on forcing you to have anything to do with him anyway. Didn't you hear me before? I'm going to be in charge of his training."

"While that would be well and good if he were your son, you simply do not have enough time to teach a child that is not your own. You will have too many other responsibilities as my mate and will have neither the time nor the means to train such a child."

He watched his brother weigh the decision back and forth while the kitsune was looking between the two of them with unease and more than a hint of fear. The youkai lord already knew what the ending decision would be, but he decided there was no harm in humoring the hanyou for the moment. Besides, he was hoping to see that illusive intelligence surface again.

"Are you trying to tell me that if I don't agree with you about him being my son, he won't be allowed to stay here no matter what anyone has to say about it?" Inuyasha asked with a guarded look on his face.

Raising an eyebrow to his brother, he responded, "I do believe you are finally beginning to get the idea, Inuyasha."

"So, let me get this straight, all I have to do is say he's mine, and there won't be a problem?" the inuhanyou asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"It won't be enough to merely say it, you have to actually mean it," Sesshoumaru responded. He had to admit, this was getting more amusing by the moment. He might have felt more guilty about teasing his younger brother, but Inuyasha was just making it entirely too easy.

He watched as the half-demon's eyes darted back and forth rapidly. "But what if Shippo doesn't want me to be his dad? I'm not going to force something like that on him," Inuyasha responded vehemently.

Sesshoumaru glanced down at the kitsune wondering if his younger brother had completely forgotten about the child's presence even though he was still sitting in a protective embrace in his lap. Asking the obvious question, he addressed Shippo, "What say you, kitsune? Would you wish to be considered the son of a half-demon?"

Sneaking a very nervous look up at Inuyasha, Shippo replied, "I-I wouldn't mind, just as long as Inuyasha doesn't mind."

Sitting back, the youkai lord decided to merely observe once again, coming to the conclusion that they should be able to work it out on their own from here. He silently watched his brother loosen his hold and look down at the kitsune in shock.

"You wouldn't mind?" Inuyasha questioned in disbelief.

"Why would I mind? I've only been in your pack for almost two years now, Inuyasha," Shippo replied with a mildly exasperated look.

"It's one thing to be in my pack. It's quite another to be my son. Aren't you the least bit concerned that I'm only a half-demon?"

Sesshoumaru watched in some amusement as the child set his jaw into a defiant line and crossed his arms. "Why would I care about that? Sure you're half-demon, but you're also one of the strongest demons I've ever met," Shippo said in a rather stubborn tone.

Watching the sheer surprise and even shock at the praise wash over his young mate's face twisted the knife of guilt that had seemingly implanted itself in his gut sometime in the past week once more. He knew for a fact that he was one of the main reasons his baby brother thought so little of his own skill in battle. Shoving these thoughts aside for the moment on the grounds that they were unproductive, he turned his attention back to the conversation.

"You really think that, runt?"

"Of course I do, Inuyasha. I've watched you take down GODS before. Not everyone can do that, you know," the kitsune stated matter-of-factly.

The youkai lord watched as Shippo took a deep breath and seemed to steal himself. He almost sighed in relief. It looked like this conversation was almost over. He would never admit it to anyone, but this entire situation was making him rather uncomfortable and he was going to be quite pleased to have it over and done with and never have to speak of it again.

With a set look on his face, the child met the hanyou's gaze and said, "In fact, I would be honored if you were willing to consider me your son."

Inuyasha contemplated Shippo for a moment. Most likely trying to see if he's telling the truth or not, Sesshoumaru mused. Apparently having come to the conclusion that the kitsune was telling the truth, Inuyasha stated, "If you're sure that's what you want, Shippo, I would be honored to have you as my son."

The smile on the kitsune's face lit up the room. "I'm more than sure… dad."

"Well, THAT's gonna take some getting used to," Inuyasha replied, looking sheepish but at the same time relieved that it was over.

However, before the two of them got too comfortable with the new situation, Sesshoumaru decided it was time to step in again. If this was truly going to work, it would not do for his mate to have a son that was not acknowledged by him, the alpha in this mating, most certainly not if the child was going to be living with them.

To this end, the youkai lord stated, "It is not that easy, little brother."

"What the hell? You just said that all I had to do was accept him as my son! I've done that. What more could there possibly be?" his young mate demanded, apparently quite irked at what he most likely saw as a change in the rules of the challenge.

"You are once again forgetting your current position," Sesshoumaru reminded him. "You are the beta. I am the alpha. It is not enough for you to accept him. I must as well."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes in response. "You just said that you would. Are you going back on your word now?"

"Not at all, mate. I am willing to accept him as my son as well, since he is already yours, but there ARE certain protocols that must be adhered to."

"What the hell are you TALKING about?" his mate demanded.

"For instance, there is the issue of the scent claim. He cannot remain in this castle as your son with your scent claim on him," Sesshoumaru said and waited patiently for what he was trying to convey to sink in. In all honesty, this most likely could have waited for a while, but, while they were already having uncomfortable conversations in a part of the castle that was almost never used, he figured he might as well get ALL of it done at once.

Moments later, he heard a chorus of "You want to scent claim me?!" "You want to scent claim him?!"

Trying to appear as serene as possible despite these unusual circumstances, he replied, "That would be what I was referring to, yes."

"But… but you barely know me," came the stutter from the kitsune.

"I am aware of that. However, seeing as you are already my BETA mate's son, you will need to be under the same protection as him."

"Are you saying my protection isn't good enough for him?" came the expected, if rather aggressively phrased, question from his mate.

Sesshoumaru stopped to take a deep breath before continuing, trying to remind himself that his little brother was not trying to piss him off. "I was saying nothing of the sort. If you had been paying attention, you would have realized that it actually has very little to do with either of us and everything to do with the situation."

Looking into two confused gazes, the youkai lord realized some more explanation was needed. "In the very unusual situation that the beta mate is already in possession of a pack, the entire pack either is re-scent claimed by the alpha who mated with the beta or they lose their scent claim entirely. No beta can have a scent claim on another individual."

"What are you talking about? My entire pack still has my scent claim on them. I can smell it."

"It takes more than one week for a scent claim to fade away. Most of your pack has been claimed for almost two season cycles now. It will most likely take a few more weeks for the scent claim to no longer be present."

"But, then, how am I supposed to protect them?" Inuyasha asked, beginning to look a little lost as the implications were finally sinking in.

"You are not. I am supposed to protect you and our pups. You are no longer responsible for protecting anyone other than our pups."

"But, Sesshoumaru, they're counting on me," as he saw the almost pleading look on his young mate's face, Sesshoumaru's youki surfaced, telling him to comfort his mate who was obviously distressed. Without thinking on it, he pulled both his mate and his soon-to-be son into his lap.

"They will have others they can count on. Our pups will only have one mother. If something were to happen to you, what would happen to them? I refuse to allow you to go into that kind of danger again. You are needed much more here than you are needed with them." As he spoke, Sesshoumaru unconsciously stroked his mate's hair.

Sensing the confusion still present in his younger brother, the youkai lord said, "I know it is a lot for you to take in. I will postpone the scent claiming to give you some time to get used to it." It was the only thing he could think of to offer his younger brother in an attempt to soothe his obvious distress.

He had expected that to be the end of it, and, as a result, was very surprised when his younger brother said, "No. You should do the claim now. I don't want him to be without protection just because we didn't know when it would wear off."

"If that is what you wish…" Upon receiving a nod from both of them, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and focused his youki on that of the baby kitsune. It was not nearly as powerful as the youki's of many other demons he had scent claimed, but he knew that much of that was due to a lack of training and how young he was. However, it was not the kitsune's own youki that was the problem. It was the previous scent claim that was laid by his little brother. While it was true that the claim was fading, it was still much stronger than he had anticipated.

As he pushed against the already established claim, he was finding that he needed to allow his raw youki to flare even more than he had expected. Even laying the scent claim on his little brother had not warned him of how strong his mate's own scent claims would be. Although he supposed he should have expected it. He had, after all, realized that Inuyasha had been treating the kitsune as his own son for quite some time now. As a result, the kitsune most likely had the strongest scent claim on him of any in the pack.

For, while there was a scent claim on all members of a pack, the ones who the layer of the claim felt needed their protection the most always had the strongest scent claims. In most packs, these individuals would be the mate and pups of the pack leader. To a lesser degree, it would also apply to any of the breeding bitches and other pups in the pack. The lowest degree would be present on the full-grown warriors who were generally considered to be capable of taking care of themselves and only had a scent mark on them as a sort of courtesy or sign of allegiance.

Interestingly enough, from Sesshoumaru's understanding, it was the youki of the layer, not the layer themselves that decided on the strength of the claim. Not only that, but the strength was subject to change based on increases in age and maturity, changes in pack position, or sometimes even the general attitude of the layer towards the layee changing.

All that being said, he really should not have been surprised at the intensity he was seeing in the scent claim on the kitsune. Not that it was impossible for him to overlay the current scent claim or even that it was as difficult as it had been to lay the claim on his younger brother, but it made for something else to think about. All he seemed to be getting these days was more to think about, Sesshoumaru mused as he continued to work.

Having finished laying the claim on the kitsune, he opened his eyes and looked down at the two of them. Shippo had a look on his face that appeared to be a mix of shock and awe. However, it was the look of dazed adoration on his mate's face that was really doing him in. Not only that, but he could feel his little brother's youki calling out to his own youki.

Feeling the desire to mate with his younger brother once again beginning to rise inside him, he forcefully reminded himself that they were not alone. To this end, he quickly turned away from the sight, unsure of what he would do if he allowed his gaze to linger. After a moment had passed during which he forcibly pushed his youki and its desires down again, Sesshoumaru stated, "We have other business to attend to."

Sensing more than seeing the confusion from his mate and newly accepted pup, he elaborated, "There is still the rest of your pack to deal with, Inuyasha."

That was enough to snap the two younger ones out of their stupor. Within moments, they were once again back in the hallway, retracing their steps to the aforementioned pack.

- - - - -

Hey all! I know, I know, it's been FOREVER. Main reason you haven't had an update in so long: my computer died. I had most of the chapter written up and then my computer just died on me. I was only recently able to get access to my files from that computer again to finish up the chapter. Add to that my daughter turning four and I, myself, being in my last trimester of pregnancy… Well, I've kind of been getting hit from all sides. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long.

As always, thank you for reading and/or reviewing. Both are greatly appreciated.


	53. Wherein the Farce Continues

The Prophecy 

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki

- - - - -

Chapter 52: Wherein the Farce Continues

He followed his mate and brand new son into the room. The priestess his little brother appeared to be so fond of had awoken in the time they were gone so now they were facing the entire rest of Inuyasha's pack. He decided to, once again, allow his mate to take the lead. After all, these were not his friends that they were talking to, but rather his brother's.

He watched in hidden amusement as the humans in Inuyasha's pack looked between the three newcomers and then exchanged glances amongst themselves. It was obvious that they found something objectionable, but Sesshoumaru was at a loss as to what exactly it was that they disapproved of.

After all, it was highly unlikely that the humans were aware of the mating yet. They did not have the senses needed to tell. He supposed that perhaps they were still displeased with his prior treatment of the priestess. However, if they were expecting an apology of any sort for the act, they would find themselves sorely disappointed. He was not about to apologize for something he felt that girl-child had coming.

In fact, thinking back on the matter, he took a step closer to his mate just in case she decided to try that stunt again. The whole time he had been pondering this, the silent staring had continued. Even the kitsune was not making a sound as if he was aware of the importance of this as well.

A glance at Inuyasha's face showed that he was at a loss for words to explain and Sesshoumaru was once again struck with the feeling that they were making much more out of this than should be.

Finally, the miko opened her mouth. "How dare you choke me?!" she screamed, pointing an accusing finger directly at him.

He could feel his ire beginning to rise again and would have taken a step forward if it were not for his baby brother taking a step between the two of them, so he was standing with Sesshoumaru at his back. "Leave him alone, Kagome," came the surprisingly calm statement which was immediately answered by the human girl's shrill voice.

Sesshoumaru merely stared at his little brother's back while Inuyasha argued with that girl over whether or not she should drop her issue with the demon lord. Sesshoumaru found himself in a state of confusion. Was his baby brother defending him? This made no sense to him. Why would his younger brother, despite being his mate, defend him? Why would he even feel the need to? Did Inuyasha feel he was incapable of defending himself?

The more he thought about it, the more the implications were getting to him. How dare his mate, his BETA, imply that he was in need of protection? How dare he imply that he could not stand up to this little slip of a girl and win? He came back just as she was screaming at Inuyasha that she had bruises on her neck and his little brother was scoffing that it was better to be bruised than dead.

Having enough of this, Sesshoumaru put his hand on his young mate's shoulder and moved him to the side, out of his way of the priestess. And, looking straight into the eyes of the still fuming girl, he calmly stated, "It is my right as alpha to protect my mate in any manner I so choose." He had expected that to be the end of it, but he felt a sudden wrench on his arm and found himself facing his furious brother.

"What the hell are you doing?!" was spat in his face.

Feeling put out that his mate required an explanation for something so simple, Sesshoumaru merely looked at him balefully. Apparently fed up, Inuyasha shouted, "Don't give me that look! I was handling it! And then you have to come in here and been all, 'I am the alpha, I am always right' and screw everything up!"

Becoming annoyed at his little brother, 'who was HE to lecture HIM anyway?', he coldly stated, "You were handling nothing. You were arguing with that wench of yours and getting nowhere."

"I was getting to it! You didn't even give me a chance to try!"

"You were wasting time," Sesshoumaru replied calmly, refusing to allow his young mate to bait him into a yelling match as he had with the human girl.

"Feh! That is the last time I ever help you with a problem."

"I did not have a problem, nor did I ask for your assistance."

"You didn't have a problem?!" Inuyasha glared at Sesshoumaru, pointing a single finger at him in scolding. It was giving Sesshoumaru the urge to rip it right off his hand, but his little brother just kept going. "Listen here, you asshole--"

Thankfully for Inuyasha's finger, Miroku spoke up before the statement could be completed. "You two are mates?"

Both the youkai and hanyou turned to the monk with blank looks, their argument forgotten. Sesshoumaru watched the monk squirm under their joint looks, mildly entertained. Meanwhile, his younger brother was being as eloquent as always and said, "Hungh?"

Clearing his throat, the monk restated his initial question, "Inuyasha, are you mated to Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru turned to see what his mate's response would be. To his shock, Inuyasha's cheeks tinted pink and he turned his gaze from the monk's before saying, "That's what he said, isn't it?"

"But-- but, why?" asked the slayer.

"It wasn't like it was planned or something," Inuyasha mumbled. "It just kind of happened."

Sesshoumaru looked at his mate curiously. It hadn't been planned? He had thought they had both put a good deal of thought into this. Perhaps he was wrong. No, he couldn't have been wrong. There was no way he could have possibly misread everything that had happened in the past month. True, neither he nor his brother had been overly pleased with what fate seemed to have planned for them at the beginning, but now they had both accepted it as inevitable.

Wait, perhaps that was what he was referring to when he said it had not been planned. It had not been the way they had thought their lives were going to be until just a short while ago. Up until recently, he never would have even considered his brother as potential mate material. Determining that that must be what he was referring to, he brought his attention back to the conversation only to find that the priestess was in tears.

"Ka..Kagome, don't cry," he heard come from his little brother. Looking over, he saw a slightly panicky look on his face.

"What do you want me to do?! Laugh?!" came the near-hysterical response.

"No, but stop crying. It's not that bad?" came the questioningly hopeful reply. Sesshoumaru momentarily wondered who he was asking.

"Not that bad? Not that BAD?! How can you say that?! You mated with your brother! Your brother! How could you do anything so- so- so DISGUSTING?!" Sesshoumaru turned his hard gaze to the priestess who had stopped crying and was now raging. "Oooooo! SIT BOY! SIT! SIT!..."

She most likely would have continued to chant the 'sit's had Sesshoumaru not appeared in front of her and backhanded her at that moment. That did it. She not only tried attempted to hurt his mate and possible pup AGAIN, she insulted their entire relationship! How dare that vile human even think she could do these things and get away with them. He would make her pay.

Still furious, he walked over to where she had fallen to the ground after hitting the wall, unconscious, trying to calm himself the whole way. He kept a steady chant of 'Inuyasha doesn't want me to kill her. Inuyasha doesn't want me to kill her.' going through his head the whole way, but it was only helping marginally. Truly this was a human who deserved to die.

For the second time today, she had hurt his mate. His poor mate who was already weakened from having been sick for so long. It was unacceptable. Some recompense must be made. And to think, he had been considering letting his little brother deal with them. That was out of the question now. There was no way he would leave his obviously naive baby brother to their mechanizations.

These humans had to get out of his sight immediately. He had had it with all their hysterics. And if they were going to treat Inuyasha in such a manner, then they could very well just leave and never return. It was not as if they were needed here in the first place. He could oversee the care and well-being of his mate just fine on his own. After all, they were in his home, they were under HIS sufferance.

With these thoughts in mind, he drew upon that loathsome priestess only to be stopped once again. "You had better have a good reason for stopping me," he snarled out to that damnable witch. 'Would it really be so bad to just kill her?' he wondered to himself, feeling the itching desire to shred something.

"Indeed I do," came the serene reply. "Do you think your mate would forgive you for killing this girl?"

"He would get over it. Now move."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, Lord Sesshoumaru. You are not in your right mind at the moment," she said in that matter-of-fact voice of hers and he felt some of his rage at the situation in general focusing in on her.

"This 'girl' as you say has harmed my mate twice in one day when he is already in a weakened state. If he is with pup, she might have also killed that pup. And yet you stand here and dare to tell me not to kill her? After everything she has done?" Sesshoumaru asked his voice and youki raising, thoroughly outraged.

It was then that a soft sound reached his ears. "Sesshoumaru, help me." It was barely there at all and had he not been a demon, or perhaps had it been someone else's voice, he would not have heard. But it still managed to call him back and he found himself once again completely dismissing the female's presence and appearing back at his brother's side.

Pulling his younger brother up, he asked, "What do you need?" while once again cradling the smaller body on his lap. He did not call for Jaken to retrieve more rabbits this time since something instinctual was telling him they would not help. So, he just did what he could with his youki, no matter how little that actually turned out to be.

All he received in response to his question was his mate burrowing his head into his chest and clutching to his outer haori. Realizing that Inuyasha had most likely simply wanted to be held and comforted, perhaps even looking to waylay him from extracting vengeance upon the miko for the moment if he was that aware, Sesshoumaru simply held his younger brother and allowed him to do as he pleased.

All in all, Sesshoumaru was quickly growing sick of this cycle they seemed to be stuck in. His brother would argue with that wench, she would 'sit' him, Sesshoumaru would attack her, Inuyasha and Sturaki would keep him from killing her, and he would have to comfort his weakened mate. Again. It was getting old. He did not wish to have this ever happen again, but the only way to insure that was to either kill the priestess, which everyone kept thwarting him in doing or get rid of those damnable beads around his mate's neck.

As he was thinking on this, his thoughts drifted to the rest of the half-demon's pack. Perhaps they would know of some way to assist in this matter. Checking on his mate once again, as Sesshoumaru had decided it would probably be best to have this conversation without his little brother being cognizant of it, he was grateful to note that the combination of the weakened youki, mating season, and most likely his own presence had seemed to have once again sent his mate to his happy, dreamlike state from earlier.

Satisfied that Inuyasha was momentarily down for the count, Sesshoumaru turned his attention to the others in the room. Observing them, he decided it would be best to question the one with the spiritual energy. Besides, the monk seemed to have the most sense of all of Inuyasha's companions. Having made up his mind, he said, "Monk," and waited to receive his complete attention before continuing. "How do you remove these cursed beads from my little brother's neck?"

The looks on the other members of his baby brother's old pack grew wary all of the sudden. Sesshoumaru did not like this new development. Why would they be wary of such an innocent question? Unless they liked the idea of that girl-child being able to hurt his mate as well.

The thought made his temper begin to surface again. And, whereas just a month ago he would have questioned why he cared about how his baby brother was abused, now he was only focused on the fact that this was HIS mate that was being abused. He was the only one with the right to decide what form of punishment Inuyasha deserved or even if, in fact, he was in need of punishment at all.

Could it be that his 'pack', his so-called 'friends' agreed that he was in need of regular punishment? He did not hear of any of them being punished in such a way. Maybe that thought it was fine because he was a hanyou. Or perhaps they were afraid. Maybe they felt he needed a leash.

As if in confirmation of his suspicions, the slayer uncertainly asked, "Why would you want to do that?"

He felt his anger level rising even higher. The priestess was not the only one who needed to die, obviously. How could his baby brother put up with this insult? How had he not killed them all already? Why was he still protecting them, even now, even knowing that she could be killing their pup in her arrogance? Did he truly care so little for himself? For their pup?

If that was the case, he would have to be the one to keep a watch out for him. It was his duty as the alpha to protect his mate and pups from harm after all. He tried to ignore his youki commenting that he had thus far failed miserably in that regard. He also tried not to look down at the body of his mate that was draped over his lap, a testament to how badly he was doing in this, possibly the most important duty he would ever have.

Feeling his own anger and shame at allowing this to happen to his mate again while he was right there, Sesshoumaru leveled a glare at her, replying, "Either you tell me how to remove them or I will kill the priestess."

"Now, Lord Sesshoumaru, I am sure we can work something out," the monk said in what he supposed was intended to be a soothing voice.

Sesshoumaru was not in the mood to be coddled. He switched his icy glare to the monk and stated coldly, "There is nothing to work out. Either it is gone or she dies." Indeed, that was the only acceptable course of action. These events could not be allowed to occur again.

"Regrettably, the only one with the power to remove the necklace is Lady Kagome. I do not have enough strength myself to remove the enchantment. So, you shall have to wait until she arises once again to make your request."

Realizing that the monk was most likely telling the truth, at least to the extent that he was aware of it, Sesshoumaru dropped the matter for the time being, although he still allowed it to stew in the back of his mind. He idly wondered how long it would take the priestess to reawaken so he could make his demand of her.

Dismissing the humans in the room as being not important enough to pay attention to, he had already turned his attention back to his mate when the monk made an inquiry of him. "Lord Sesshoumaru, if I may ask, why did you choose to mate with Inuyasha?"

Weighing the pros and cons of telling this human anything, Sesshoumaru decided that the question had been phrased respectfully enough that it deserved some type of response. And so, he answered, "My youki was interested in his."

"That's it?" asked the demon slayer in disbelief.

He favored her a blank look and stated blandly, "Nothing more is necessary."

"How can you base an entire mating on that? That's ridiculous!" she exclaimed.

"It is the demon way. I would not expect a human to understand." Sesshoumaru was beginning to lose his patience with this one as well. What was it about his baby brother that attracted people with the most annoying personalities to him? Then again, his little brother was rather annoying in his own right, perhaps that was the reason.

"It may be true that a human would not understand," commented the monk cautiously, "but Inuyasha is half-human. Did he not have any problem with this arrangement?"

"That is none of your affair," Sesshoumaru responded, hoping this entire line of questioning would just be dropped. The last thing he needed was a reminder of the fact that he had yet to convince the human half of his mate that being his mate in the first place was a good idea. The youkai lord saw the monk make a barely perceptible nod to himself and wondered at what he was agreeing with.

"Have you considered the possibility that this might have all been a plot against you by another, Lord Sesshoumaru?" continued the monk in the same cautious tone.

'Plot?' who had said anything about a plot? Was this human simply grasping at straws because he could not stomach the thought that Inuyasha was mated to him? If so, Sesshoumaru would have one more person to add to his list of those that needed to die.

However, at the same time, this monk appeared to be concerned and possibly raised a valid point. Perhaps it would be best to take stock of his situation as he had been taught so long ago before jumping to conclusion in the manner his little brother was better known for. Turning a sharp eye on the human, he inquired, "And who would stand to gain from this 'plot', human?"

"Perhaps your great father, my lord," came the reply. He watched the demon slayer turn her eyes to the monk and gasp in shock while contemplating the merit of the monk's statement.

It seemed absolutely absurd at first glance but, perhap-- "Why would you think such a thing, monk?"

"It is simply that your great father seems to have put so much effort into making sure that his esteemed sons would be... accepting... of one another's presence." At the sharply raised eyebrow, the monk elaborated quickly, "For instance, he set the two of you to the task of sealing Sounga, knowing full well that you had to work together to do such a thing. Have you considered that this entire occurrence might be along similar lines?"

"Are you implying that I, the Lord of the Western Lands, would not be capable of finding my own mate?" Sesshoumaru took back his previous thoughts. This human spoke just as much rubbish as the rest of the them. To imply that HE would be unaware of when his youki was calling out to his mate-- He briefly wondered how attached his little brother was to this one.

Seeming to sense his own impending doom, the monk hurried to allay the youkai lord's concerns. "Not at all, my lord. I am sure you are quite capable of finding your own mate. I would never dare to question you on such a matter. It is only that, up until a month ago, you were trying to kill each other. I had been given to understanding that this was not the normal state of affairs between two who are intended mates. Perhaps it is simply that I am human and do not fully understand the nuances of the demon mating practices. Please forgive me if that is the case.

"However, Inuyasha is my friend and, as such, I feel a duty to him to see that he is in the right mating for him. After all, up until a few minutes ago, I had thought the Lady Kagome was to be his mate."

"WHAT?!" Sesshoumaru raged at the monk, unconsciously tightening his hold on his mate and beginning to pet said mate's hair with his hand in an attempt to keep his weakened mate from responding to his agitation. He had been listening to what was being said and silently acknowledging that the human did have a few valid points to himself when the idiotic human made that statement. It was much akin to waving a red flag in front of a bull. "You claim to care for him and wish him to be in a good mating. And, yet, you believe he should be with that priestess?!"

"Hey! Kagome and Inuyasha love each other! They should be together!" shouted the demon slayer.

"They LOVE each other? Surely you jest, human," Sesshoumaru scoffed even as his fingers continued to brush through Inuyasha's hair. It was as if he subconsciously knew that it would be best for his young mate not to awaken for this conversation. "If that girl-child felt even an ounce of this so-called LOVE of yours, would she treat my mate in such a manner?

"Would she continually abuse him in the way she does? Would she put him under a spell and hurt him whenever it struck her fancy? If this is the LOVE you humans are so keen on, I do not see why anyone would wish it," Sesshoumaru finished coldly, glaring at the demon slayer whose face was getting more red with each passing word.

Sango began to rant, "That's not how it is at all! Kagome is kind and caring and she's always trying to take care of Inuyasha! It's--"

Interrupting the demon slayer, Sesshoumaru inserted, "She takes care of him by slamming him into the ground? Even I do not believe that lie."

"Well, maybe if he would watch his mouth a little more often, it wouldn't happen as much!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed and it was only the presence of his young mate's soft hair under his hand that stopped poison from seeping into his claws. "You dare to suggest that my little brother, the son of the Great Dog General, should be chastised by a HUMAN CHILD for the way he speaks?!"

Evidently noticing that his companion was seconds away from losing her head, the monk hastily cut in. "My lord, my lady, perhaps we should postpone this discussion until a later time. After all, both the Lady Kagome and Inuyasha don't seem to be in the best of shape at the moment."

Realizing that the monk did have a point, Sesshoumaru once more looked down to his baby brother who had somehow managed to stay asleep in all the ruckus and checked his youki levels. 'Back where they should be,' he noted with satisfaction and pulled his own youki back into himself, however, he did not withdraw his hand.

Ignoring the demon slayer who had run over to the miko at the comment from the monk, he looked to his new son. Apparently, the kitsune had been worrying at Inuyasha for the duration of their conversation. Glad that at least someone was on his side about things, Sesshoumaru didn't bother to tell the kit to move.

Sighing to himself, the youkai lord wondered how in the world he had allowed himself to get caught up in this ridiculous mess in the first place. Looking down again, his eyes softened minutely. There was his answer of course, he would do it for his mate. After their past, it was the least he could do.

- - - - -

Hey all! I'm not dead yet. I am however, very busy. Insanely so. I have a newborn boy, that brings me up to 3 kids under 4. I'm also going to be moving shortly. Not quite sure when the next chapter will be out. I thank you sincerely for your patience with me. As always reading and/or reviewing is very much appreciated.

On a side note, I have a side story to this one that I put up on fanfiction dot net and mediaminer dot org called 'Bedtime Story'. It takes place something like 7 years down the road and is more... cute... I suppose. Just in case you're interested. Hopefully, I will be putting up a new chapter for you soon.


	54. Much Ado about the Miko

The Prophecy

The Prophecy

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki

- - - - -

Chapter 53: Much Ado about the Miko

Following Sesshoumaru back to the room was at least as nerve-racking for Inuyasha as calming Shippo down had been. He was still having some difficulty comprehending that his elder brother had, in fact, marked Shippo as his own. In disbelief, he sniffed the kitsune on his shoulder again. Yep, the scent was still there. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of it, either.

Why would his bastard of an older brother, mate or no, mark the kit? How would that be of use to him? Because he was sure that it wasn't done out of altruistic intentions. He almost laughed out loud at the thought. Sesshoumaru doing something out of the goodness of his heart? Utterly ridiculous.

Putting those thoughts to the side, he looked to his next challenge. He was now going back to the room where the more difficult members of his pack were residing. He no longer had the excuse that he had to take care of the kitsune. He had to go in and deal with them. And, at that thought, doubts began to cloud his mind.

What if Kagome was still unconscious? Or worse, what if she was awake? The very thought made him shudder. He wasn't so sure he wanted to hear what she was going to have to say about his mating. She had to be told, but he had this sinking feeling that she was going to hate him for it and he really didn't want her to hate him. She was one of his best friends, mating issue aside.

It wasn't his fault that his youki had chosen to mate with Sesshoumaru. But, he had a feeling that it wouldn't matter. That all she would see was him lying down with the enemy. That she would leave him and he truly did not want to lose a friend over this. He had few enough friends as is. He was terrified of the possible rejection and REALLY didn't want to talk to her about it, but there was no avoiding it, she HAD to be told.

Catching himself hoping that she would still be out of it, he shook his head. Despite the fact that it would put off what he had to tell her until later, he did not wish her to be so badly injured that she was still not awake. Not over something his mate had done.

And what if the rest of them refused to accept it either? What would he do then? He didn't know if he could handle that much rejection. He would be on his own again. The very idea of being that alone once more was enough to send a chill down his spine.

He looked up and realized that he was standing outside of the door to the room yet again. Wondering if he could possibly get out of doing this, he glanced around quickly for some reason not to go into the room. Even though, in the back of his mind, he knew it was impossible. He had to go in and talk to them.

And so, it was with a deep breath that he stepped into the room once again. Despite what he may wish, he knew there was no way for him to get out of doing this. And, the sooner the better. However, upon entering the room and being faced with the rest of his old pack, he found himself speechless.

He didn't want to tell them about Sesshoumaru being his mate and Shippo being their new son, but he also knew that not telling them wasn't really an option either. They needed to know, they deserved to know, but he didn't want to be the one to tell them and he could feel the atmosphere getting more and more tense as time went by.

That is, until Kagome, heaven help the wench, decided to break the mood with an accusation at Sesshoumaru. To say that Inuyasha was wishing he could whack her upside the head was an understatement. Of all the idiotic things she could have done, she decided to challenge his mate. He sometimes wondered if she had a death wish.

He had only tried to defuse the situation before Kagome got herself killed, purposefully ignoring his youkai self that was whispering to him that he should just let his mate at her, when it all went to hell. Who did Sesshoumaru think he was, telling them about the mating? It wasn't his place to tell them. Inuyasha should have been the one they would hear it from. Not his overly blunt elder brother.

But even that wasn't the worst part. No, the worst part was Kagome's reaction to the news. Her tears tore at him. Her obvious upset made him feel lower than the lowest gnat. Her words cut through him like a knife. And then, she sat him. Again.

He was aware of his mate moving towards her yet again, without a doubt intending to kill her. But, instead of instantaneously defending her like before, he found himself stuck once more. He could feel his human side screaming in frustration for him to stop Sesshoumaru. But he could feel his youkai side just as readily demanding that he let his elder brother kill her already. In fact, his youkai side was all but outright cheering for her death while his human side was beside himself with fear for her safety.

And through it all, Inuyasha could feel the sickening pull he had felt earlier that month, right before he had passed out. He didn't want to go back there again. He didn't want to. He would do almost anything not to be put back in that place again. For, while he had no distinct memories of where he had been after he had passed out, he knew it had not been somewhere he wished to return and he was terrified of it on an instinctual level.

But, no matter how hard he was trying to fight it, he could feel it beginning to take over. In a panic, as he felt himself go under, he called out to the only help he could think of. His mate. He yelled as loudly as he could, but in that last desperate attempt, he felt his grip fail and he fell into darkness.

He found himself on his mindscape once again and suddenly had perfect recollection of what happened here the last time. Looking to his youkai self, he screamed, "What the hell is your problem?! I thought we were finally getting along a little!"

"What is my problem?! I'll tell you what my problem is! That fucking bitch is trying to kill our pup! And YOU'RE LETTING HER!" shouted the youkai self.

"Since when is there a pup to worry about? You're just making excuses cause you NEVER liked her!" the human side accused.

"It's not my fault you're too dense to notice it," the youkai taunted.

"What are you talking about, youkai?" asked the hanyou.

The youkai self gave him a smug look. "I mean, we're pregnant."

Inuyasha blinked in shock. "We're what?"

"Pregnant. Don't tell me you've managed to lose your hearing to the human as well?"

Inuyasha glared at the youkai for a moment until something clicked. "Wait a second, how do YOU know we're pregnant?"

Rolling his eyes, the youkai replied, "Where do you think all our excess youki is going?"

"Shit."

"We're really pregnant?" the human inquired.

"So it would seem," responded the youkai dryly.

"Well…, that still doesn't mean we have to let Kagome die. She didn't know! I'm sure once we tell her…" the human started.

"Once we tell her, she'll what?" the youkai asked with one eyebrow raised tauntingly. "You know she doesn't want to listen to anything to do with our relationship. She thinks we're sick and disgusting. I say we should let her die."

"Look, I'm sure, once we explain everything…" the human half tried again.

"No, we are NOT going to explain to that wench about what that fucking command of hers does. Has it ever crossed your little human mind that she might use the command to kill our pup on purpose?!"

"But Kagome's not like that! She wouldn't kill our baby! You know that!"

"I know that? Based on what exactly? She's sat us to the bottom of a river before and nearly drowned us! She's sat us when we were in the top of a tree! She's sat us right off cliffs!"

"But she wouldn't hurt the baby! She loves children!"

"Oh, so she won't hurt children, but she has no problem hurting us? What kind of fucked up logic is that? Besides, mark my words, she'll get mad and forget. She'll make us plummet right off the side of a cliff and kill the pup and then she'll be all 'Oh, I'm so sorry!' and teary-eyed, but it won't matter. Our pup will be dead! Our baby will be gone!"

The human's eyes grew huge, appalled, "She wouldn't do that! She's not like that!"

Inuyasha spoke up again, "Are you so sure about that? Youkai has a point, she gets into her little huffs and she forgets everything else but her anger. She's sat us numerous times before when we were already severely injured, making it take even longer to heal. How would us being pregnant be any different? If she gets mad enough, she'll forget everything in her rage and sit us regardless."

"So you're taking HIS side? You think she should be killed as well? I thought you cared about her! How can you just stand by and allow her to die in this way?!" the human was incredulous.

"No, I think youkai is a little too harsh in his punishment. True, she's a threat, but I don't think she deserves death because of it."

"If not death, then what? I refuse to allow that wench to harm our pup. She cannot be allowed to wield that kind of power over us," the youkai said harshly.

"Couldn't we just request that she take it off?" the human asked.

"Like she'd do that!" the youkai screamed.

"You don't have to be so negative about it," the human said defensively. "It was just an idea."

"No, human, youkai has a point. We've asked her before. We've been nice about it. We've been mean about it. We've even been terrifying about it. It hasn't changed her mind, not once.

"What makes you think that simply telling her about the pup will change her mind? She may not want to hurt the pup, but she enjoys her power over us in this damn necklace a little too much," the hanyou attempted to explain.

"That's assuming she DOESN'T want to hurt the pup," the youkai muttered, crossly.

"What do you mean, youkai?" the human asked, eyes narrowed.

"Just that we have no idea if she would want to kill the pup or not, human. She hates our mate. She hates our mating. She thinks it's sick and disgusting. She probably thought that we would mate with her. As if I would agree to mating that vile being.

"Has it never occurred to you that she might hate this pup, this visible sign of our mate's bond with us? That maybe she would WANT to kill the pup? That she would say she was sorry and that it was an accident and maybe even cry about it, but that it would all be pretend? That she would sit us off a cliff ON PURPOSE?" challenged the youkai.

"How can you SAY something like that?! She's sweet and kind and…"

"Constantly sitting us whenever we don't do what she wants or disagree with her," Inuyasha finished.

"You ARE on his side!" accused the human looking betrayed. "Did you forget that he wants to kill Kagome?!"

"I didn't say I wanted him to kill the wench. But, you have to admit, she can be rather violent and unreasonable." Turning to the youkai, Inuyasha continued, "Besides, if we kill her, do you have any idea how much the rest of the pack will whine at us? And you KNOW they don't let up. We'll be hearing about it day in and out for YEARS and that's assuming they don't all just leave us outright. They practically worship the ground she walks on. What if they all abandon us? What if they leave us alone again?"

"We have a mate," the youkai began.

"Who we don't know whether or not he'll stick around," the hanyou reminded.

"We'll have our pups," youkai continued.

"I don't want to raise our pups alone!" interjected the human.

"We could always find a new pack," the youkai resolutely plowed forward.

"Where?" asked the hanyou wearily. "Do you even remember how long it took us to find THIS pack in the first place? Who's to say that we will EVER find another one that will accept us to even half the extent that this one has?"

"If they accept us as much as you seem to think, they should accept this mating as well. And, they should accept our killing of that bitch," youkai argued.

"I get and agree with the mating part, but there is no way they should be expected to choose between one friend and the other. Why should they side with us rather than Kagome?" countered the hanyou.

"They love Kagome. They would hate to see her die." The human continued, "Besides if we allow her to be killed, what are you planning on telling our new son? He looked upon her as a mother for the past couple of years. Can you accept him hating us for killing her even if she is no longer his mother?"

"Fine, then, we won't kill her," said the exasperated youkai. "We could just let our mate do it for us. You know he wants to."

"Letting our mate kill her is barely better than us killing her ourselves!" screamed the human.

"Look, no matter how much she annoys you, youkai, we can't kill her. And we can't just allow Sesshoumaru to kill her either. Despite what you seem to believe, if we allowed that happen we would never be able to forgive ourselves," said the hanyou self, completely worn out from this discussion. "Just look what happened with Kikyo. We're STILL trying to forgive ourselves for that and we didn't even have any control over that situation."

Evidently realizing he was not going to win this particular argument, the youkai gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine. We won't kill her or let our mate kill her. But then what should we do about her? You have to agree that she is a danger to the pup."

"I don't know yet, but we can't figure it out here. We have to do it in the real world."

Inuyasha guessed that they agreed because he was now aware of where he was, in his mate's arms on the floor. He could feel his son sitting next to him and the gentle stroking of his hair by said mate. Cracking his eye open, he glanced up to his mate and realized that his attention was elsewhere, somewhere to his side where Inuyasha could not see.

And while the hanyou was trying to decide if he should get up to see what was so interesting, his hearing seemed to turn itself back on just in time to hear Miroku's voice coming over his brother's shoulder. He only caught the tail end of the question as it was, "…to mate with Inuyasha?"

Fairly certain he knew the beginning of that particular question, he waited with his eyes closed for his elder brother to respond. If he was willing to respond at all. Upon hearing that it was just the youki that was interested, Inuyasha almost threw his arms up in frustration and walked out of the room.

He then berated himself for daring to think it could possibly be anything more. He, of all people, knew how his brother was. They were only mates out of an interest held by both youkis nothing more, nothing less. It didn't make it hurt any less to think that though.

He forced his thoughts away from his moping in time to catch the monk suggesting that it was a plot by their father to get them together. Now, wouldn't that just take the cake? But he still had to agree with him, their old man did seem to have some rather sadistic ideas about bonding. Could this mating be one more of them? But if it was, wouldn't that old witch have said something? Wouldn't something dire have happened?

Sesshoumaru had to find the right mate, it was preordained. If he didn't and their father screwed with it, that was just putting the entire world at jeopardy, right? Inuyasha didn't know. It didn't make any sense to him. And the one person he could ask about it who might be able to answer the question without making him feel like a complete idiot was currently trying to get himself killed by suggesting that Inuyasha should have mated with Kagome.

Preparing himself to leap into action and save the monks life from his soon-to-be homicidal older brother, he was shocked when said brother merely yelled at him, never ceasing in his stroking. Even when Sango joined in the argument, he still continued to sit there, using words rather than violence to get his point across.

It made Inuyasha wonder why he was doing this. Was he keeping in mind that his younger brother was friends with these people and would not like it if he killed them? Or was he too preoccupied with taking care of his mate to get up and kill them? And then the words… the words that actually seemed to show emotion, appeared to show concern.

Inuyasha didn't dare to hope that the outrage was on his behalf. There had to be another reason. His elder brother just did not care for him to this extent. And yet, here he was, defending him against his own friends. Truth to be told, it was making his human side warm up to their new mate quite a bit. To be cared for, to be protected, it was something he had been missing the vast majority of his young life and his human side craved it just as much as his demon side.

Cuddling closer into Sesshoumaru, he tried to silently give his approval for the words and actions of his elder brother. A nonverbal thank you being transferred through touch. His mate was not required to defend him, especially not from his friends, but here he was, doing it anyway. And not only once, but continually.

Feeling more safe and content than he had ever felt in his entire life to this point, Inuyasha finally allowed himself to succumb to the temptation to fall asleep in his mate's embrace. He was sure that his mate had things well in hand.

- - - - -

Hey, all! I'm finally more or less settled in at my new place. (Having to refurnish an entire house after a move is nerve-racking.) I know, I know, not a whole lot of plot progression. At least, not in a universal time manner. But you did get to find out some new juicy tidbits that I know quite a few of you were wondering about. Hmmm, I wonder how long Inuyasha will wait to tell Sesshoumaru he's pregnant.

The next chapter shouldn't take anywhere near as long to get out. I already have it started. And then, maybe we can get out of this scene from hell and move on with the rest of the plot. One can only hope.

As always, reading and/or reviewing is greatly appreciated.


	55. The Kotodama Rosary

The Prophecy

The Prophecy

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in except for Sturaki

- - - - -

Chapter 54: The Kotodama Rosary

Miroku could not believe how incredibly horribly this was going. He glanced from Kagome being taken care of on the floor by Sango and the Lady Sturaki to his often-time best friend, Inuyasha, being held in the arms of the demon who, although having been their mostly enemy the entire time the monk had known him, was apparently his mate. How had it gotten to this?

Thinking back, Miroku still could not figure out just what was going on. He had not wasted the time they had been there before Inuyasha had come to see them. He had spent the entire time in meditation, attempting to remember anything that he could to help his friend. Unfortunately, for all the time he spent in this pursuit, it was apparent it was all for naught.

The one thing that he had never even considered since he did not see it as a possibility, that of the two of them being MATES, was evidently the one he should have been most concerned with. He shook his head thinking on how he had missed the signs the first time he had seen the two together earlier in the day. Now that he knew what he knew, it was obvious what had been behind the gestures. He could not believe how oblivious he had been. Then again, he supposed hindsight was twenty-twenty.

Sure that Kagome would be fine, Miroku continued to observe the couple in front of him. Or should he say 'family', he wondered, taking in the way Shippo was inexplicably hanging close to them. In fact, Shippo had not left Inuyasha's side once since they entered the room. Could it be there was something else going on he did not know about?

Mentally shaking his head, Miroku put his mind back to the first issue again. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's relationship.

If one had asked him a day ago, he would have said that they only grudgingly put up with each other when they were absolutely forced to. But now… now they were mates. They were bound to one another. And from what Sesshoumaru had said, it wasn't even forced. And yet… Inuyasha had said it wasn't planned. Perhaps there was some dissention between the two.

In all actuality, despite the shock, if this was truly what Inuyasha wanted, he would accept it. However, the more he was finding out about this, the more he was wondering if Inuyasha had even been given a choice in the matter. The way Sesshoumaru had neatly side-stepped any question over whether Inuyasha wanted this or not was enough to lend credence to this doubt.

Looking at them carefully, Miroku realized with some annoyance that Sesshoumaru had angled Inuyasha's body in such a way that his face, at least, was shielded from view. How was he supposed to know how his friend was doing if he could not even see his face?

Thinking back on the way that the half-demon had hit the floor and then not immediately gotten back up again just a few minutes prior, Miroku felt even more of an urge to find out just how his friend was faring. And so, being mindful of the youkai lord who had been just short of homicidal a moment ago before he had managed to redirect his attention as well as the volatile demon slayer to his right, tending to Kagome, he carefully stood. He had to see how his friend was doing.

Slowly moving around the immobile figures, he was very careful not to make any sudden moves. The last thing he wanted was to startle the irritable youkai into killing him. When he finally reached a vantage point from which he could see Inuyasha's face, he let out a silent sigh of relief. He wasn't dead yet.

And then, he really looked at his friend. What he saw was a shock. Sesshoumaru was apparently patiently stroking his younger brother's hair. And Inuyasha, Inuyasha was just lying there, looking sound asleep, in his elder brother's arms.

Miroku gazed upon the scene contemplatively. This was different. He had been unsure what he had been expecting, but this was not it. This behavior seemed to be completely at odds with the way that the siblings normally acted. He contemplated whether mating really changed a person so much. And, if it did not, he found himself wondering if it was a spell nevertheless despite what Sesshoumaru had said against that idea. After all, there were few spells that the person being affected was aware of while they were in the thrall of it.

As he observed, trying to glean more information in support or against this theory of his, he heard a soft sound from the side. Glancing over, he noticed that Kagome was once again rising. He gave an almost imperceptible nod. He had known she would be just fine, if not a little worse for wear.

Hoping against hope, he watched her ascend from her reclined position and turn her head to face the dog demons again. 'Here comes round three,' he thought to himself sardonically while settling in for the show.

- - - - -

He had just been checking on how his mate was doing and was quite pleased with the current state of things when he heard it. That damnable wench of his younger brother's was back in the land of the living. His eyes darted over to her and narrowed. Why couldn't she have just died already?

Or at least stayed out longer. His poor mate was still out of it, she should be as well. At least, that was its current line of reasoning. And the fact that she was quite obviously NOT suffering the way his mate was, made him even angrier. In fact, if it had not been for the fact that his young mate was still recovering in his lap, he would have been tempted to knock her out again. As it was, he was sorely tempted to see just how well her human flesh would stand up to his whip.

Surely a few scars wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience. Or maybe a missing limb or two or three. He was sure that humans could handle being limbless. He could manage with only one hand just fine. It's not like she was any good in battle anyway. It wouldn't be a great loss. She would still have her eyes which his younger brother had seemed so adamant on having the use of in the past.

Thinking of the use his baby brother had for her reminded him sharply of why they were in this predicament in the first place. Perhaps he would allow her to keep her limbs and simply remove her throat. That would stop the commands. There was a niggling voice in the back of his head commenting that losing her throat would actually kill her and he cursed to himself for forgetting how frail the human body was even momentarily.

Then again, maybe he could claim innocence. He wondered if any of them would believe that he was unaware ripping out that human's throat would kill said human. Glancing around, he decided that that was unlikely. Once again, he cursed his youki for forcing him into making that damnable promise to himself.

If he had not pledged to attempt to make amends to his mate for what had happened in the past, he would be able to kill the priestess without even blinking an eye. But no, his youki had made sure he had felt guilty for the first time in his life over what he had seen in the problems Inuyasha had already been having with their mating. He had even grudgingly accepted responsibility since he had to admit that the problems were almost entirely the youkai lord's fault in the first place. And then he had vowed, even if it was only to himself, that he would try to make it up to the whelp. Though why his youki had chosen this issue to start with, he didn't know. What he did know was that he couldn't just kill her and be done with it. And it was severely grating on his nerves.

However, she had to be dealt with. This could not be allowed to continue. There was the possibility that his mate was now carrying his pup. In which case, allowing her to continue on in such a manner was much too dangerous. Not that he was willing to allow this insult to his father's blood to go unpunished in any event.

But in order to deal with her properly, he needed her in his reach. And moving himself was out of the question so long as his mate was in need of him. His mind went back to the whip he had considered earlier. Its use would require letting go of his mate. For some reason, he was not pleased with that thought. He promptly blamed it on his youki getting stronger during mating season before moving on, mentally cursing over having been defeated by his own instincts.

Then his thoughts drifted to his fur. He could use it to man-handle her in much the same way he had been using it on Inuyasha the past few weeks. There would just be one small difference. He wouldn't have to concern himself with how rough it was being. A minuscule smile appeared on his lips as he narrowed in on the priestess. Yes, this had potential.

Without a second thought and faster than any could interfere, he had the priestess wrapped up so tightly in his fur that she was most likely having trouble breathing. Not that he cared one bit. He pulled her towards him and his mate and forced her face down on the ground none to gently.

"Tell me, human, how do you like it on the ground?"

The way he had her there she could barely catch a breath, let alone speak. He ignored this as well.

"No response? And yet you so seemed to enjoy it when my mate was in this position. Pity. Such a weak little child who wishes she could have power.

"It's pathetic really. You think you have power. You fancy you have the right to do as you choose simply because you have some spiritual energy.

"What a waste of space. Give me one good reason not to end your existence this very moment, you wretched being. Your end would only mean good for me."

He felt a shock go through his fur and raised a brow. Evidently the miko had decided to attempt using her powers against him. He weighed his options, he could either tighten it for her impudence or allow her to think that she might stand a chance, purification energy or no and loosen it slightly. Deciding that he had had quite enough of her antics, but also noticing the purple tinge to her skin, he settled for tightening the hold for a moment and then releasing it enough for her to breathe but not be free.

He watched impassively as she gulped in a breath only to have her scream, "Inuyasha!" before he was able to clamp down on her again. Of all the nerve, calling to his mate whom she had just injured in hopes that he would save her. Obviously she had not yet learned her lesson.

He was so focused on dealing with the wench that he failed to notice that she had, in fact, awoken his young mate. That is, until he heard, "Sesshoumaru! Let her go! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" while simultaneously becoming aware of said mate pushing out of his lap and trying to manually remove the fur from the miko.

Not loosening the hold in the slightest, Sesshoumaru looked dispassionately at his now-standing and wide-awake mate. "I am eliminating the threat," he responded, standing himself, effectively bringing the immobile priestess up with him.

"Knock it off! She can't breathe!" Inuyasha was yelling at him like he should have cared one way or the other while still trying to unwrap the miko. Sesshoumaru merely looked at him. As far as he was concerned, his younger brother should be happy she couldn't breathe. If she couldn't breathe, she couldn't talk. If she couldn't talk, she couldn't use that incantation of hers.

"Come on, bastard! She's just a human! If you choke her long enough, she'll die!" Did his younger brother think he was an idiot? Of course he knew that. In fact, he probably had a better idea of just how long it would take for such a thing to happen than the inuhanyou did.

He could see his young mate's expression getting more desperate as he refused to budge on the issue and Inuyasha found out first-hand just how ineffectual his claws were against Sesshoumaru's defenses. He found himself mildly curious as to just what his younger brother would try next to attempt to save the miko from him.

"Fuck! What do you want me to do?!"

Considering that perhaps this situation might have some merit in helping to teach his baby brother to be more diplomatic, Sesshoumaru calmly told his panicked mate, "You could try asking."

Sesshoumaru wondered just how large his mate's eyes could possibly get before his brother endeavored to collect himself and asked, "Sesshoumaru, would you release her?"

Judging that it was good enough for a first attempt, Sesshoumaru replied, "Of course, little brother," and loosened his hold on her whereupon the girl fell right into his younger brother's arms.

He was not happy with this particular turn of events, but then, the girl was not exactly able to stand on her own at the moment either. So, perhaps it was for the best. He watched his mate attempt to soothe the ruffled miko with distaste. She should have known better than to challenge him.

He then cast a look at the other occupants of the room. The monk was standing and convulsively clenching his staff between his hands and the demon slayer, who was standing as well, had one hand on her own large weapon with her cat standing at her feet. However, neither was currently making any aggressive moves and so he ignored them. The kitsune, his new son, he reminded himself, was watching the proceedings with wide eyes, edging closer to Inuyasha than to him which was perfectly understandable given the circumstances. And then, there was the seer who was still sitting on the ground where the priestess used to lie, looking completely unconcerned with the proceedings.

Turning his attention back to his mate and the priestess who looked to be in slightly better shape now, he asked, "Are you ready to be reasonable now?"

If anything, the miko's face turned even redder than it had been while she was being choked. "Am I ready to be reasonable?! You're the one trying to kill me all the time!"

"If you did not act in such a manner that invited these types of interactions, I would not see the need to treat you as such," he answered blithely.

"WHAT?! I have done NOTHING to warrant this treatment!" she shrieked. Sesshoumaru wondered how his younger brother could put up with it on a regular basis in the back of his mind, however, the rest of him was enraged.

Despite the fury boiling in his blood at her self-proclaimed innocence, he kept his voice steady and ice-cold. "You have done nothing to warrant this treatment? Are you so sure of that, little girl?"

Evidently not realizing the danger, she plowed forward, "Of course I am! I have done nothing to you! And you keep trying to KILL me!"

"You have done nothing to me? You fail to understand your situation, little miko." Sesshoumaru took a step closer to her. "You are in MY home, under MY sufferance. Not only have you failed to show me the respect such a situation demands, you have attacked MY mate."

"What are you talking about? I haven't ATTACKED anybody!" he could tell by the look on her face that she truly believed that to be the case. But he also saw his mate flinch slightly out of the corner of his eye at these words. His youki did not like that response and neither did he.

His expression hardened further even as his voice got colder. "You have attacked no one? What do you call this 'sit' command of yours then?"

"But, that's not an attack, that's just…" she began.

"That's just what? It throws my mate into the ground. I would call that an attack."

"But… it's not an attack," she continued to defend. Sesshoumaru could not believe she was seriously trying to get him to agree with her that the incantation was not an attack. "It's a way to keep Inuyasha in line…"

His little brother backed away from her rapidly. "A way to keep me in line? What do you think I am? Your fucking pet?!" The hurt showing in his mate's eyes was almost too much for his youki to bear. It wanted to go over and comfort his mate immediately. But, he held his youki in check for he knew that this had been long in coming and decided he owed his mate at least this much.

"What? No! Inuyasha, I don't think of you as a pet!"

"Then what?! What makes you think that YOU, of all people, should have the right to 'keep me in line'?!"

"You're so mean! You're so rude! You don't know when to stop! I HAVE to keep you in line! No one else will!"

"Who the fuck do you think you are?! You are NOT my mother! You are NOT my master! You are NOT my mate or my alpha! Hell, you're not even my sister! You have NO business trying to dictate how I act!"

Sesshoumaru stood back silently and watched Inuyasha get more and more worked up. He wondered in interest if the hanyou was going to kill the miko FOR him. There would be quite a bit of poetic justice in that, he decided. It would be a good end to this mess and he would like to see it very much.

And then he saw the tears begin to fall on the wench's face. He almost rolled his eyes. So she was now going to try playing the sympathy card. He had seen it done many times over the years. Pathetic.

He wondered if his younger brother would fall for it or not. Then he came to the conclusion that it was no matter. If Inuyasha fell for it, he would simply have to be the one to put that girl-child back in her place. He had done it for centuries with courtiers. He could definitely handle one human.

"What is your problem, wench? Why are you crying NOW?"

"I…I thought… I thought I was your friend," she sobbed out.

Inuyasha sighed. "Of course you're my friend, Kagome. But being my friend does not mean you have the right to tell me how to act. How would you like it if I did that to you?"

"IF you did it to me?! You do it to me all the time! You're always demanding I come back here to look for jewel shards no matter what else I'm supposed to be doing at the time!" Evidently the tears had been exchanged for anger yet again. Simply watching this human's mood swings was enough to make Sesshoumaru dizzy.

"Those are important!"

"So is my school!"

"Feh! I don't come to your skool and drag you away! I take you from your house! Half the time you aren't doing anything but sitting on your ass!"

Watching the interaction between the two of them, Sesshoumaru stepped closer. This was beginning to look like one of the incidents where she would use her incantation. He would be damned if he allowed her to use it again. As he saw her getting more and more angry, he prepared himself to reach out at any moment and was glad he had for not a second later, she started to say that fucking incantation of hers. However, this time he was fast enough and had her completely wrapped up in his fur before she could get out more than the initial sound.

He pulled her closer to him so that she was looking him directly in the eye and gave her his coldest look. "Listen to me, you little whore, the only reason you are alive at the moment is because for some incomprehensible reason, my mate actually wishes for you not to die. However, I am not as lenient as you seem to believe me to be. Should you continue to attack my mate, I WILL kill you, regardless of what my mate's wishes may be.

"Since you are apparently incapable of listening to reason when you are free, I will tell you this now. You will remove that collar from my mate or I will kill you. It is really quite uncomplicated. Even someone as simple-minded as you can surely comprehend these instructions."

He then gave her freedom for her arms and hands but kept the rest of her wrapped tight and moved her towards where his younger brother was standing with his jaw dropped. "You will remove it now or you will die. Choose quickly."

As soon as the beads were lifted above his brother's head, Sesshoumaru threw the miko to the side and ripped the beads out of her hands in one motion. He ignored the slayer and monk running to the aide of the fallen miko and instead focused on the beads he was currently holding. For such little things to cause so much torture. He quickly placed them in a hidden pocket in his clothing.

He then turned to leave the room, grabbing his younger brother by the arm on route, ignoring the yelling behind him and the struggling from his young mate. It was not his concern whether or not the humans were pleased with him. They were lucky he had not left that wench in worse shape. And Inuyasha was not going to be left alone with such treacherous beings.

As for Sesshoumaru, he was off to find his sorcerer. The humans may have thought this was the end of the affair, but as far as Sesshoumaru was concerned, the priestess' punishment was only just beginning.

- - - - -

You know, there should be a law against having this much fun writing a chapter. Especially when said chapter deals with the torment of one of the main characters in the show. And here I was, trying to make Kagome not that bad, just annoying. Oh, well. The best laid plans and all that. Hmm, I wonder what Sesshoumaru wants with the beads. Any ideas?

Thank you as always for reading and/or reviewing.


	56. Interlude II: Swarm

The Prophecy

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Interlude II: Swarm

It could not tell how long it had traveled. Time was meaningless to it. It could have been hours or weeks. It made no difference. What was going to happen would happen and there was nothing in this world that could stop it.

It continued to traverse towards the goal in the distance. It was getting closer slowly but surely. It was vaguely aware of demons and demonesses coming into its range. But it merely took what it needed from them and moved on. Its goal was always at the forefront of its being.

If it had been paying attention, it would have noticed that it was less and less individuals it was finding and more and more couples. Had it cared, it might have even wondered why they were now banding together.

But it did not know nor did it care. After all, even we do not notice when there are two ants traveling together rather than one traveling alone. And these were little more than ants to be crushed and devoured as far as it was concerned.

It did take slight note of the youkai when they swarmed. They actually forced it to stop in its progression for a moment. They almost became a problem for it.

But, in much the way one would brush aside a swarm of gnats in the face, it simply continued on through devouring all in its path. Had it paid attention, it would have noticed the devastation that it left behind.

Had it possessed a thinking mind, it might have not left behind survivors to report on its goings on. However, it was a simple creature. It followed what it felt it should do and traveled where it felt it should go. There was no reasoning behind it. No logic. Simply a call that had to be answered. And it would go where it was called.

And so, it continued on, ever further towards the west, heedless of what it would find there.

- - - - -

Before I get questions, this is the same being that is referred to in the last interlude. It is also referred to in various parts before the first interlude. However, it has not been mentioned recently and I thought now would be a good time to bring up what it was doing. On a side note, any guesses as to who the 'swarm' is? (Admittedly, you'll have to go back pretty far and make some inferences, but still...)

Don't worry, I have another 'real' chapter coming up soon.

As always, thank you for reading and/or responding.


	57. Uncertainty

The Prophecy

The Prophecy

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

- - - - -

Chapter 55: Uncertainty

Inuyasha brought his hand up to his neck once again. The rosary, the chain that had been on his neck for the past couple years was really and truly gone. He felt free. Free as he had not felt in so long that he could no longer recall what it had felt like.

True, Kagome had not wanted to take it off. True, his elder brother and mate had forced her to do so under pain of death. Which, now that he thought about it, was really odd. He hadn't thought his older brother would care one way or another. Sesshoumaru should have been happy to see his hanyou face in the ground. He furrowed his brow in confusion and then shook his head.

That was not the important part. No, the important part was that he no longer had on that damned rosary. He was no longer in a cage. He was free! He could now do as he wished. He no longer had to answer to the whims of a child and have everyone simply shake their heads at him as if to say that he should have expected it, that it was his lot in life as a hanyou and it was the best he could hope for.

He wouldn't be left questioning why his face was in the ground. Or wondering if anyone was ever going to listen to what he had to say. Or pondering if he should even bother getting up after being sat into a deep hole.

He wouldn't have to worry about accidentally saying something to set Kagome off. Nor would he have to concern himself with whether or not he felt like getting put into the ground for stating his opinion. Now he had the freedom to do such things without consequence.

It was all so beyond what he had thought or even hoped for that he was still in a bit of a daze on the whole issue. Sure, he had considered not having it before. Certainly, he had fantasized about making Kagome take it off. Yelling at her or threatening her. In his darkest thoughts, he had even considered physically forcing her to take it off. Sometimes it happened in a scene that even resembled the one that he had just seen, but with him as the antagonist this time.

But he had always shied away from those ideas in the past. Yes, he wanted them off, but he didn't want to hurt her to do it. He spent so much time protecting her, anything even approaching harming her intentionally just went against his very nature. He never would have been able to go through with it. Even the fact that his own mate had done it left some distaste in his mind. It was almost enough to spoil his joy in his new-found freedom. Then a new thought entered his head.

He wouldn't have to fall before that damn wolf either! That idea brought a true smile to his face. He had been waiting to pound Kouga's face in for a LONG time. Now, the next time he saw him, he would have his chance. He could just imagine how great it would feel to have his fist sink into that mangy wolf's face. The thought made him so content, he was almost purring.

Thinking on how much better it was going to be without that leash on, he turned to the reason it was no longer there. His elder brother. His mate.

He wondered if he should thank him or something. That was what one did when someone else did something for them, right? Especially if they did not have to do it. He was pretty sure that was how it worked even if the one in question was a bastard to you more often than not.

Deciding to hope for the best, he said, "Thank you," very softly to Sesshoumaru. And then he decided it was worth it if for nothing else than for the look that had adorned his mate's face at those words. It was very quick, but since he had already been looking at Sesshoumaru, he hadn't missed it. There was definite shock there before the wall came back up again.

"And what might you be thanking me for?"

"You know, the subjugation beads," Inuyasha said, pointing to the where the beads used to be on his neck.

"No mate of the Lord of the West shall fall before a human."

The hanyou looked at his older brother incredulously. He breaks down and actually shows his gratitude and all he gets is that imperious look and a 'how could you be so stupid as to think it had anything to do with you?' tone? All that asshole cared about was his own reputation. Forget this!

He ripped his arm out of his mate's grip and pulled away muttering about ungrateful bastards who think they own the universe. So much for showing appreciation. He should have known the ass wouldn't accept it. Probably felt he was too good for it. That he deserved to be thanked just for breathing in his direction. His elder brother was such a bastard.

When Sesshoumaru did not even bother to see what his problem was, it only reinforced the idea in Inuyasha's mind. Somehow he had managed to once again forget that he was only a half-demon. Not worthy to even breathe the same air as his 'perfect' elder brother. Surely, if he had cared about him at all, he would have tried to find out why his younger brother had pulled away.

Hell, if he had been with his old pack, he wouldn't have gotten a full step away before they would have been on his case about what was wrong. In fact, there would have been incessant questioning about just what had put him in such a snit until he finally told them or just left entirely.

But if he had been with them, this never would have happened in the first place. Had he told one of them thanks, they would have appreciated it. They would have noticed how hard it was for him to say such things. But, no, not his older brother. Not his mate. He had to be a condescending prick about it.

And he was sure he knew the reason. It always came to back to the fact that he was a hanyou with his brother, didn't it? Not that the younger brother had any choice in the matter. But that had never mattered, now had it? As he had been told countless times before by the demon in front of him, he was not worth the dirt beneath his feet. He should have been killed for what he was. As a hanyou, he was nothing. No, he was less than nothing. He was beneath notice.

Inuyasha sneered. Well, so be it. If that bastard did not want him around sullying up the place, he would just leave. There was no reason for him to stay here. He had what he had come for. All he needed to do was gather the rest of his pack and leave. See if Sesshoumaru ever saw his pup at all.

He could feel his youki whimpering at the idea of being away from his mate. But it was not as if he had much of a choice now was it? He had to think of himself and the good of his pups. His pups. Oh gods, he had almost forgotten about Shippo. He now had at least two of them to look after counting the unborn one or ones in his abdomen.

With a sharp inhale, he set his shoulders. No matter, it couldn't be that much harder than taking care of himself. Could it?

He began to panic slightly at the thought. How was he going to take care of his pups? He would be vulnerable during the pregnancy. If he couldn't find somewhere safe to stay… He didn't even want to think about it.

He knew he would do the best he could by them but, what if it wasn't good enough? Would his pups even HAVE a home? Or would they just be wanderers? That couldn't be good for pups. Could it? Would they hate him for not leaving them with their father? How could he even begin to explain to them that their father wanted nothing to do with them? Should he even try?

What if he WASN'T good enough to be able to take care of them? What if he couldn't provide for them? What if something happened to him while he was trying to protect his pups? Who would take care of them? They would not be old enough to take care of themselves. Would they end up as outcasts like he had? Would they starve to death in the unforgiving winter?

Now his youki wasn't the only one that was beginning to get panicky. His whole self was being consumed with worry for his pups and their future. He knew intellectually that they were safest here. But if he was not wanted, how much more wanted would the pups be? Perhaps he should just leave them here with Sesshoumaru. Even as he thought it, he shied away from the idea. There was no way he could leave their pups alone with that bastard.

If Sesshoumaru could hate him, his younger brother, for having human blood, how could Inuyasha possibly expect him to accept his pup who would also carry human blood? It wasn't possible. It would not be safe for his baby to live here. He would just have to leave. That was all there was to it.

Trying to calm himself down, he reminded himself that he had been on his own for a long time. Surely a couple more mouths to feed wouldn't be a problem. He had been doing alright recently. Besides, he couldn't lose hope yet. There was still the possibility that he would be able to stay with his old pack. Although, that too was in doubt over what had just happened in the room back there.

What if Kagome was furious about the way she had been treated by his older brother?

Who was he kidding? Of course she was furious! Who wouldn't have been?

He wondered if her outrage would spread out to encompass him and his pups as well. He hoped not. He truly did not want to have another enchantment put on him. He had just become free!

He wondered if pointing out that Sesshoumaru hadn't killed her would help. Even he was shocked by that one. With as pissed off as his elder brother had been, he had fully expected her to have been nothing more than a splotch on the ground. But, his older brother had shown great restraint, more than Inuyasha had ever seen him show to anyone, in the way he dealt with the issue.

And it still had the hanyou in a state of confusion. For a while back there, it had sounded like his big brother was trying to fulfill the role of mate and alpha in more than just name and actually care about him and for him. What a laugh. Sesshoumaru didn't care for him as far as he could throw him. He only did what he thought was 'required' of him due to their current situation. But that still left the issue of why he hadn't killed Kagome. He was grateful, but he would have liked to know why.

For all that she had hurt him, he nevertheless did not truly wish her dead. Although he was still pretty pissed that she had thought she needed to use the beads to keep him in line like he was some mangy, out of control mutt. Sure, he had looked at it that way sometimes, but he hadn't thought SHE had. He had thought, hoped, she had some other, ANY other, reason for using it that he just didn't understand. But that did not appear to be the case.

To hear her say it out loud was so much different than the whispered implications in the back of his mind. He had thought she was his friend. She was so nice to everyone else, why not him?

Then it came to him, he was a hanyou. Nobody cared for half-demons. Nobody was nice to them. He cursed to himself for even daring to hope it could be different.

His human side took this opportunity to remind him of Kagome's temper. She had been really mad when she had been talking. Maybe she didn't really mean it. She had said things she didn't mean when upset before. Maybe this was just one more case of that.

This thought gave Inuyasha hope in keeping his friendship with her even though his demon side was scoffing at the idea. But his hanyou self, who had been alone almost his entire life, was willing to put up with almost anything not to be alone.

He knew Sesshoumaru did not understand it. The very fact that he had no idea why Inuyasha wanted to spare Kagome's life was enough to show that. And he had his doubts that anyone in his old pack understood this need of his either.

How did you explain to someone who had never been alone, completely and utterly alone, what it was like? How do you explain why you are willing to put up with threats and put downs and physical harm just so that you have someone to talk to? How do you make them see that you have never in your life had complete acceptance? Never had a friendship without conditions? He sighed. There WAS no way.

It was one of the main reasons he never bothered to explain his relationship with Kikyo to them, after all. And now, he was beginning to wonder if his relationship with Sesshoumaru was going to fall into the same category. If his old pack couldn't accept his mate and his mate couldn't accept him, where did that leave him? Alone, once again.

But, maybe, just maybe, he could convince his old pack to let him back. He knew there would be conditions to it. He wasn't completely stupid. He hoped they wouldn't include that damn rosary going around his neck again, but realized it was a distinct possibility. No one trusted hanyou after all. But what if they made more demands now?

He was worrying over what the conditions might be for him to rejoin his pack when he heard Sesshoumaru say from almost half the hallway ahead, "Are you coming or not, little brother?"

"Why should I go anywhere with you?"

"I am your mate. Your alpha. I do believe those were the conditions you gave to that priestess of yours for expecting your obedience were they not?"

Damn. He had him there. He HAD said that. In fact, Sesshoumaru fulfilled almost all the requirements he had laid out for Kagome. Shit. Now what? Glaring at his elder brother, he snapped out, "Doesn't mean I'll follow you without reason, bastard."

"Very well. And here I had thought you would wish to know what I had planned for that miko of yours. Perhaps I was wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously. Even when he was answering questions, his mate acted like a condescending prick.

"Have you not wondered why I have the beads, little brother?"

To be perfectly honest, no, he hadn't. He supposed he had thought they were perhaps to be a trophy of some sort. He wasn't really sure about what he had thought they were going to be used for. But there was no way he was going to admit that to the jerk he had the displeasure of calling his mate. Instead he sneered, "Why should I care what you do with them? Throw them out for all I care."

Sesshoumaru finally turned partially and looked at him. "Ah, but if I threw them out, little brother, I couldn't have FUN with them." The way he said, 'fun' sent a chill down Inuyasha's spine.

Despite himself, Inuyasha began moving closer to the older youkai. "What are you planning, Sesshoumaru?" he asked suspiciously.

A cold smile graced the normally expressionless lips and the hanyou was strongly reminded of a ferocious predator on a hunt. "Come and see, my mate. There are many ways to deal with problems such as that little girl of yours."

"You're not gonna kill her or something are you? Cause she may be annoying sometimes, but that doesn't mean I want her dead."

"I am well aware of how you feel about the situation, little brother. Rest assured she shall not die by my hand. However, there are ways other than death to deal with problems."

Inuyasha regarded him skeptically. He had never heard of his elder brother using any method other than death to deal with annoyances. "If there are other ways to deal with these problems of yours, why don't you use them instead of killing everyone?"

"Because killing the annoyance is so much easier and much less of a headache. However, if you are to live here, you must realize you will not be allowed to kill everyone who annoys you. There are lords and ladies who you will be expected to show respect to regardless of how annoying you find them be. As such, you would do well to learn… other ways to deal with the annoyance they will no doubt cause."

The younger inu stiffened at that. "Who said I was staying here?"

The elder merely cast him a glance. "Of course you are staying here. You are my mate. You will bear my young. This is now your home."

The way Sesshoumaru was treating him like an idiotic child was raising his ire, "Look, I may have agreed to be your mate. I may have agreed to bear your pups. I did NOT agree to live here!"

"Surely you did not think I would allow my pregnant mate and pups to go gallivanting around in the wilderness did you?"

"I can take care of them!" Inuyasha yelled back defensively, despite the fact that he had just been bemoaning his ability to do just that mentally a mere moment ago. Besides, what was his brother playing at? He didn't care about Inuyasha one way or the other.

"Perhaps, but it is my duty to take care of both you AND the pups. I cannot fulfill that duty if you are not here."

Ah, DUTY, how he hated that word. Although he was unsure why the fact that it was merely a duty that kept him in his mate's care was bothering him so badly, he could not possibly have been expecting more. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"No," came the blunt response as the youkai lord turned around. "Now come, Inuyasha, we have wasted enough time as is."

Inuyasha just stood there in anger, glaring a hole into his mate's back. How dare that ass talk to him like he was a servant?! To hell with this! He was going to go back to his pack right now. His prick of a mate would just have to deal.

Turning around to head back down the hall they had just come up, Inuyasha suddenly felt his energy get sapped away. He felt his ears move from the top of his head down to the sides and all his senses dimmed to being barely there. With a sinking feeling, he realized what had happened. After all, it had happened once a month his entire life. And he had known that it was getting close to nighttime, but with having been out of it and unconscious, he had completely lost track of the moon cycle.

But with the change, he now knew exactly what phase the moon was in. If he looked out a window, he knew he would see a dark sky. Which, in turn, meant only one thing. He was now human. Shit.

The human Inuyasha glanced down at the black hair on his shoulder. This was sooo not good. Sesshoumaru was going to kill him. His elder brother HATED his humanity. He wondered what his chances of getting away before his mate noticed he wasn't there were and didn't think they were too good. But he had to try! He had a pup to think about! Even if he allowed Sesshoumaru to kill him, which wasn't likely to happen, he couldn't allow him to kill the pup!

Decision made, Inuyasha ran as fast as he could down towards where his friends were. They would understand the problem. They had to help him. He didn't know what else to do. He hated to admit it, but he was defenseless in this form. He just prayed he would be able to get there in time.

- - - - -

Someone was asking a while ago when the new moon was going to come. Tada!

Sorry about this taking so long to get put up, I haven't been happy with some of the transitions and so it has been sitting on my hard drive with me worrying at it the past month instead of it getting posted. However, I changed some of the wording so it should be better now.

As always, thanks for reading and/or reviewing.


	58. Understanding Dog Demons

The Prophecy

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

* * * * *

Chapter 56: Understanding Dog Demons

After the two dog demons left the room, Miroku turned his attention to the young demon who was still in the room. Shippo had evidently been forgotten and left behind by both the inuyoukai. Or maybe not so much, for the kitsune looked slightly concerned, but not overly upset about staying behind.

As he observed the child's posture, he realized that the boy was still looking towards where the other two had exited rather than paying the rest of the room any mind. He also appeared to be lost in thought. This by itself might have not been unusual, but for the fact that Kagome had been done great harm not too long ago and the kitsune he knew would be beside himself about it.

But this Shippo was not for some reason. There had to be something more going on here than they were aware of. Things were just not adding up in his mind. Determining that he would be best off getting information from the source, Miroku decided to speak up. "Shippo?"

He watched the kitsune give a start before turning to him. "Hungh?" He shook his head. "Hey, Miroku."

"Are you alright?" he asked cautiously, reasoning that it would do him no good to make the child nervous.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Why do you ask?"

Deciding to call to mind the events right before this when Shippo had run out of the room and the brothers had followed, Miroku said, "You did not seem alright just a short while ago."

"Well, I'm fine now," came the defensive response.

Miroku almost sighed. This was going to be difficult and needed to be handled carefully or he would get no information whatsoever. "I was just curious as to why you left the room so quickly. What happened?"

"Oh, I just realized something."

"What did you realize?" he asked with interest.

"That Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were mates."

Mentally nodding his head, Miroku silently agreed that realizing such a thing would be enough to freak out most people who knew the two inuyoukai. "And so you ran?"

Suddenly Shippo became tense. "I was scared, OK?"

"Why would that scare you? I mean, I understand that Sesshoumaru can be rather scary as a person, but why would their mating scare you?" Miroku had his own reasons for why the mating would scare he himself, not the least of which being concern over his friend having been forced into this arrangement. But, he was curious as to why Shippo would have been afraid.

"I didn't want to lose Inuyasha," was the quiet reply.

Now this was something new and completely unexpected. Of all the reasons to be frightened, it was the possible loss of Inuyasha that was at the forefront of the child's mind. Perhaps there was something going on here that he was unaware of due to his human nature. "Lose Inuyasha? Why would you have lost Inuyasha?"

Shippo favored him with a disbelieving look, "You saw how they were acting. There was no possible way that Inuyasha was the alpha."

He agreed with the kit, but that still did not explain where losing Inuyasha fit into all of this. So, he decided to ask for clarification, "I can understand that, but I still do not see why that would mean that you would lose Inuyasha."

"Don't you get it? As the alpha, Sesshoumaru has complete control over Inuyasha. He can make him do whatever he wants."

"You mean our friend is now Sesshoumaru's slave?" Miroku asked, thinking that this might actually be WORSE than what he had feared.

"No, you don't understand anything," Shippo replied in annoyance. "He isn't his slave, he's his beta mate."

That didn't clear it up for the monk at all. It still sounded like Inuyasha was going to be a slave to his elder brother. "But you just said that Inuyasha had to do whatever Sesshoumaru wanted."

"Of course, he's the beta. All betas have to follow their alpha's commands," Shippo stated as if it were as simple to understand as breathing.

Deciding to table this discussion until he could speak with someone who would be able to explain it better, he asked, "But, if that is the reason you were so distressed, then why are you not still upset? What did he say to you to convince you otherwise?"

Shippo puffed out his chest and said in a self-satisfied voice, "They accepted me as their pup. I have parents again!"

"Who accepted you as their pup, Shippo?" asked Kagome who had just reawakened. Again.

"Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru," came the proud reply.

"They did?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yep," he replied happily, unaware of the growing ire from the young miko. "Sesshoumaru scent claimed me and everything. I'm going to learn how to be a great youkai and live with my new parents."

"So they think they can just take you and spread their perverseness?" Kagome asked, evidently annoyed.

Shippo now looked confused. "What?"

"Listen to me, Shippo, you can't stay with them," Kagome all but ordered.

"But I have to stay with them, they're my new parents. Aren't you happy I have a new family?" Shippo asked in increasing bewilderment.

It bothered Miroku to see the kit so perplexed. Although he could understand the cause quite well. After all, he had looked upon Kagome as a mother for a very long time and had no doubt expected her to be just as happy with this new turn of events as he was.

"You don't want them for parents. You've seen how they treat each other. What makes you think they will treat you any better?" Kagome asked and, even though he could see her point, Miroku was appalled that she was speaking in such a way to Shippo.

The kit's growing uncertainty and unease was evident in his reply, "But, Kagome, I'm a demon, they're demons. Lots of demons act that way towards one another."

"How can you ever be sure that Sesshoumaru won't just kill you?" Kagome asked with certainty that she had earned a point in this verbal battle.

The rest of group's eyes widened in shock. Shippo responded as best he could, "But I'm his pup, he won't just kill me. He can't! That goes against everything in the parent-child bond."

"So then how do you explain Sesshoumaru trying to kill me?" asked Kagome.

"Um, Kagome, you're not his pup," Shippo pointed out still looking as lost as ever. "It's not really the same thing." Then, in an attempt to defend his current alpha, he added, "Besides, you did hurt his mate. He was only trying to protect his beta."

Kagome, however, remained adamant in her position, "He couldn't be trying to protect Inuyasha. He has been trying to kill him for years now."

"But, Kagome, he has been acting like a mate should to his beta for at least a month now," Shippo countered.

"What do you mean?" asked Miroku, trying to get a better understanding of what was going on and maybe get this conversation back onto more manageable ground.

"When I saw them back before they left was the first time I noticed it," replied Shippo. "I didn't think anything of it at the time, but all the signs of soon to be mates were there.

"They were getting along and just talking instead of fighting. Then, when Sesshoumaru started to get mad, Inuyasha soothed him the same way my mother used to soothe my father."

"Ah, yes, you mentioned something about that before. So, that was the first time they seemed to know that they were intended mates," Miroku said, contemplatively. Well, it gave him a starting point if nothing else. Now all he had to do was get someone to fill in the missing information.

"Actually, Miroku, that was not the first time it came up," came a squeaky voice.

'Ask and ye shall receive,' Miroku thought to himself.

"Myouga?"

Suddenly the flea demon appeared from where he had been lying in wait on Kirara this entire time. "Yes?"

"You're still here?"

"Of course I am, what do you take me for? This is my master's greatest moment. I must be in attendance." Miroku raised an eyebrow at this. His greatest moment? That was an odd way to refer to it.

"His greatest moment?" queried Sango. "How is THIS his greatest moment?"

"Well," the flea considered. "Maybe this right now is not his greatest moment, but overall, this whole month is his greatest moment."

"Then, how is this month his greatest moment?" asked Miroku. Now he was really curious.

"Why, he found a mate of course!" Myouga stated as if the answer were obvious.

"How can you be so happy about this?!" cried Kagome in outrage.

"What is there not to be happy about? My master has a new, very powerful mate who adores him…"

He was then interrupted by all three of the humans, "Adores him?" The humans looked aghast at this declaration from Myouga. Miroku was unsure he would use the word adores anywhere in the near vicinity of Sesshoumaru, let alone apply it to his relationship with Inuyasha.

Shippo, meanwhile was slightly confused as to what all the fuss was about. "What? Why are you so surprised? It's true."

Kagome looked at both of them with a challenging stare. "You can't expect me to believe that that…that…that…bastard actually cares about Inuyasha any further than wanting to kill him."

"If that was true, then why did he force you to take off those beads?" came a new voice. They turned as one and faced Sturaki who had been silent up to this point.

"He did seem rather enraged when you sat him," commented Miroku and then immediately held up his hands in surrender when two sets of glaring eyes zeroed in on him. "Ladies, please, I was only making an observation."

"Well, it was no wonder," stated Myouga from where he sat on the ground. "Master Inuyasha is Lord Sesshoumaru's beta mate. It is the responsibility of the alpha to take care of the beta. Allowing the beta to be injured in any way, especially in the presence of the alpha, is unacceptable…"

Kagome interrupted him again, "But Inuyasha wasn't injured."

"Umm, Kagome, yeah he was," said Shippo hesitantly.

"But I sit him all the time. There has never been a problem before."

"I believe that Kagome did not notice the situation Inuyasha was in after her sits given that Sesshoumaru was trying to kill her at the time," interjected Miroku.

Kagome glanced around baffled. "What situation? What happened?"

Sango picked up the explanation. "After your altercations with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha was unable to get back up. Both times he had to be helped out of the sit position by Sesshoumaru. And both times he looked much worse for wear afterwards."

"We would have gone to see what the problem was, but seeing as Sesshoumaru was taking care of him at the time and you needed someone to take care of you, we did not follow through on that urge," finished Miroku.

"Wait, you mean that Sesshoumaru, the frigid bastard, took CARE of Inuyasha?!" Kagome asked incredulously.

"Kagome," Myouga interrupted. "We already went over this. It is Lord Sesshoumaru's DUTY as Master Inuyasha's mate to look after and care for him. Besides there is a very good chance that Master Inuyasha is carrying the heirs to the west at this very moment."

At this, Miroku adopted a guarded look while Kagome and Sango just looked puzzled. He had been given to understand that dog demon males were not capable of bearing young. And that was obviously what the flea was referring to the possibility of. In any event, it needed to be checked out before he jumped to any conclusions.

"What do you mean, Inuyasha is carrying the heirs to the west?" asked Miroku cautiously.

"He means I'm going to be getting a baby brother or sister!" Shippo shouted, all smiles and bouncing up and down oblivious to the tension in the room.

"Now, now, Shippo. There might not be a baby just yet. Sometimes these things take time," said Myouga in the tone a parent uses to soothe an overexcited child.

"Well, if there's not one now, there will be one soon, right?" Shippo continued, undeterred.

"If what I saw was any indication, there will definitely be one soon," Myouga replied happily.

While the demons were all smiles, the humans were having a bit harder time comprehending this. Miroku felt like his brain was spinning. His friend could bear children? This was incomprehensible.

Finally, Sango said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I had not thought inuyoukai males could bear children."

"Oh, but that's what makes this all the more amazing," said Myouga with a gleam in his eye. "Inuyoukai males DON'T bear children."

"I apologize for being rude," cut in Miroku, "but if they cannot bear children, then how would our dear hanyou friend be carrying the heirs?"

"That's a story in and of itself. Were you aware that the young master has never in his life seen a female dog demon?"

"What are you talking about? There was that one dog demoness just a few months ago," said Sango.

"No, my dear, Inuyasha was not there for that one. That was just you and me," countered Miroku. "I am terribly hurt that you would not remember that precious time we spent together."

"Give it a rest, monk."

"Yes, well, back to the matter at hand," interrupted Myouga, "Master Inuyasha has never seen a female inuyoukai."

"I don't understand," said Kagome. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It is really quite simple," cut in Sturaki again. "In the event that a youkai, or hanyou in this case, male never meets a female of the same species, their bodies become convinced that it is necessary for the survival of the species for the demon in question to gain the ability to bear children so that race can continue."

"Are you saying that Inuyasha's body just up and decided to make him bear children?" Kagome asked.

"Precisely."

"But, why would it do that? There are plenty of girls out there! He could just have babies with one of them! Why would he care about it being a full dog demon or not?" Kagome asked in irritation.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Kagome. There is something else that has not been discussed yet," said Myouga.

"What else is there?" asked Kagome in exasperation.

"There is the question of who is Lord Sesshoumaru's mate."

"That's hardly a question," Miroku pointed out. "It is obvious that Inuyasha is now his mate."

"Yes, it is obvious now," the flea conceded the point. "But before the mating, it was not so obvious." Seeing the inquisitive looks, he settled in to enjoy having a captive audience for his story.

"You must understand a little of youkai culture to see the significance in this. Has it never occurred to you to question why Lord Sesshoumaru did not have a mate already when you had met him?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "No, I suppose it would not have.

"What you did not notice that would have been obvious to any adult youkai in attendance was that Lord Sesshoumaru was, in fact, much too old to be in such a high ranking position without a mate. Now, I suppose one could argue that he was just being over finicky about what he wanted his mate to be. In fact, that was the general consensus among the demon world for all this time.

"They all viewed it as foolishness. His own parents thought so as well and forced him to spend almost half a century of his life meeting one demoness after another before finally taking him to see a witch to find out what the problem was.

"While they were there, they were given assurance and a warning. They were told that their son did have a mate, but that there was only one mate for him. They were also warned that if their son did not mate with his proper mate, there would be dire consequences for the world as a whole."

At this point, he was interrupted by Miroku, "What happens if he chooses incorrectly?"

Sturaki answered this time, "It is better not to tempt the fates, monk. Trust me when I say that, had that come to pass, you would not wish to be here any longer."

"So, you are certain that Inuyasha is Sesshoumaru's intended mate?" asked Miroku of Sturaki.

"Quite."

"But… that's so wrong!" interjected Kagome.

"How? How is it wrong?" asked Sturaki, calmly.

"They're brothers!"

"Which is not an issue in youkai society."

"How can you say it's not an issue? It's incest! It's wrong!"

"Maybe by human moral standards. Not by youkai."

"Kagome," Myouga interjected, "it is actually quite common for youkai siblings to mate. In fact, it is seen as a great honor to be chosen by your elder sibling for his mate. As you can imagine, it is much more difficult to look upon someone romantically after having watched them from infancy. Also, the elder knows all the faults of the younger which can make courting difficult."

Not sure how to respond to that, Kagome tried a different tact, "They're both males!"

"Also not an issue in youkai society," replied Sturaki once again.

"Well, it may not be an issue to youkai society, but I'm sure it was an issue with the mating," stated Kagome triumphantly.

Everyone turned a curious eye to her. "What do you mean?" asked Sturaki.

"If Inuyasha hadn't been born a boy, I bet they wouldn't have fought as much. Besides, there would have been no need for him to go through this change you say he is just to get… pregnant if he were a she."

"Those are good points," the witch conceded, "but I fail to see what difference they make to the situation."

"Obviously, they're not meant to be together. If Inuyasha was supposed to be with Sesshoumaru, he would have been born a she! It's the only way it makes sense!"

Sturaki looked at her for a moment before replying. "I believe you misunderstand. You are looking at this from the stance that Inuyasha was created to be Sesshoumaru's mate since Sesshoumaru came first. Am I correct?"

There were nods all around.

"Ah, I see how that could cause some confusion. It is, in fact, the other way around."

At the perplexed looks, she elaborated, "Sesshoumaru was created to be Inuyasha's mate. Sesshoumaru is everything the young one needs in a mate and, as such, was brought into being specifically for him."

"But, Lady Sturaki," interrupted Miroku, "If Sesshoumaru was created for Inuyasha, then why was he born first?"

"Out of necessity, of course. The first thing you must understand is that time is not as linear as you think. There is a flow, yes, but the fates, among others, can step outside the flow and see what will happen in the future and prepare for it in the past."

Still seeing doubt, she continued, "Think of time as a stream. Let's say that you live beside a stream and every day the water washes away more land from around your house. You do not wish for this to happen, so you build a dam to stop it from doing so. You would not build the dam farther down the stream than your house, you would build it before it got to your house. In much the same way that events must be set into motion before they are required to be there."

"So, you are saying that in order for something to happen in the present, certain things must have happened in the past. For instance, in order for me to have my wind tunnel, my grandfather had to have tried to seduce Naraku," answered Miroku.

"Exactly. And who is to say that your grandfather did not behave in such a way BECAUSE you needed to have the wind tunnel? Perhaps you do not have it because of him, but he had it because of you," she answered with a smile.

"Interesting theory, but how does this relate to our friend?"

"It is quite simple really. Inuyasha was in need of a powerful, full-demon mate. He was in need of this mate when he became old enough to mate.

"There is one problem, however. Youkai age much slower than hanyou. In order for his mate to be old enough and powerful enough to mate him when the time was right, it was necessary for his mate to be born centuries before Inuyasha himself was born."

"OK," Kagome said slowly, blinking. With a quick shake of the head, she asked, "What does this have to do with them both being male again? I mean, if Sesshoumaru was made for Inuyasha, why wasn't Sesshoumaru the female?"

"Sesshoumaru is male because Inuyasha needs someone who is strong enough to protect him and assist him in his duties."

"Then why isn't Inuyasha female," Kagome continued, undaunted.

"If Inuyasha were female, he would be unable to accomplish his tasks."

"You have mentioned tasks and duties for Inuyasha. What do you mean?" asked Sango.

"Nothing I can tell you now, slayer. Suffice it to say they are very taxing and Inuyasha will require a good deal of support from his alpha." With that, the witch stood and strode out of the room, effectively ending the conversation and leaving the humans to their confusion.

- - - - -

Hmmm, if anyone is confused about what I am talking about in the whole conversation about the flow of time in the middle of this chapter, please let me know and I'll come up with another way to explain it in a future chapter. It's a bit of a problem for me to determine just how much explanation is needed since it makes perfect sense to me and I don't want to bore you all with explaining the same thing 20 different ways when you got it the first time. However, if it is needed, I have no problem with explaining it again in another way.

As for everything else, I know you all wanted to know what was going on with Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru and the night of the new moon. That comes up next chapter, which I have already started writing and hopefully will not take as long to get out.

I also apologize for taking so long on updates. However, real life has been rather demanding lately and must be attended to first. After all, three children 5 and under don't like sitting still while mommy is typing on the computer. Something about me being on the computer typing triggers a response for all three to come up and demand my attention at once.

As always, thank you for reading and/or reviewing. I love to hear your comments.


	59. Fears of the New Moon

The Prophecy

By: mshutts

WARNING: incest

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in

* * * * *

Chapter 57: Fears of the New Moon

Sesshoumaru moved determinedly down the hallway towards his sorcerer, still holding onto Inuyasha's wrist. He was watching his little brother out of the corner of his eye as the half-demon fingered the spot where the rosary used to be in wonder. He felt a deep sense of satisfaction that he had been able to relieve his mate of this particular burden.

In fact, he was feeling so self-satisfied that he almost missed his mate's softly spoken words. The 'thank you' that was spoken in Inuyasha's unusually gentle tone was enough to shock him. He had not been expecting it at all. His baby brother did not express appreciation for things. At least, he did not in his experience of him.

In an attempt to cover up how nonplussed this turn of events had made him, he inquired as to why he was receiving thanks. As far as he was concerned, there was no true reason for him to receive gratitude. All he had done was what any alpha worth anything would have done. Did his brother not know that? There was nothing special about this, no need to call attention to it.

And so, after ascertaining that his mate knew that he was only doing what any good mate would do, he continued on his way. He reasoned that the half-demon was slightly taken aback by what he had said and needed a bit of time to process it, which he would not take away from him. He was well aware of the fact that his new mate did not understand much of mating practices and how mates acted towards one another, after all.

However, when he still was not joined even after what he considered to be a reasonable amount of time, he called out to his younger brother to retrieve his attention. And, when the predictable outburst came, he recalled, rather fondly, how his brother had laid out the conditions for his submission. Truth to be told, they were almost too perfect.

He wondered if his young mate was aware that he had more or less been describing the entire, often confusing, nature of their own relationship. Being that he was brother, alpha, mate, and even guardian of the boy, it was enough to make one's mind run around in circles if one thought about it too much.

And yet, with as puzzling as it had the chance of being, Sesshoumaru still thought it was absolutely perfect. After all, their entire relationship to date had been confusing, why should their mating be any less so? With a small smile inside his head, he sought to bring his younger brother along with him once again.

He knew that he had his brother when he baited the hook with what he had planned for the miko. Sesshoumaru was well aware that Inuyasha would not be able to resist finding out just what was going to happen to her. He still had that annoying habit of trying to protect her going on. And, after promising he would not kill her, his brother was once again following him, much to Sesshoumaru's pleasure.

Then, all the sudden he felt a pulse. It was an odd sensation, but he did not feel concerned by it. However, he suddenly heard a gasp from his mate. Turning quickly, he was just in time to see a figure in red with black hair running around the corner, away from him, right where his mate used to be.

His youki panicked for a moment before he reminded it that his mate's human side had black hair. And, using some guesswork as well as half-listened to rumors, Sesshoumaru determined that the figure in red who had retreated so rapidly was in fact his mate, who was now apparently human.

Putting all thoughts of revenge aside for the time being, he quickly made off after his mate, wondering why the child had run away from him. And why there was a scent of fear in the air where the boy used to stand. Inuyasha could not possibly think he meant to harm him, could he?

The very idea was ridiculous. He was his mate. His ALPHA mate. Every instinct in his body was currently in tune to protect his little brother. Surely, even without full knowledge of the bond, his baby brother had to be aware of that. The hanyou's own youki would have shown him as much.

'But he is without youki at the moment,' Sesshoumaru's own thoughts reminded him.

The demon lord's eyes widened slightly. A horrible thought had just occurred to him. He had thought that the three parts of Inuyasha were together in their opinion of him as a mate. But, what if that was not the case?

What if the other two sides had effectively overruled the human side? What if the human side had realized that he stood no chance in going against both the demon and hanyou sides and decided to say he agreed but only to buy time until his little brother turned human so that he could affect an escape?

Once again cursing his lack of foresight in dealing with his little brother when he was a young child, Sesshoumaru hurried after his wayward mate. There was no way he could allow this human side to take everything he had just gained from him.

However, before he made it to his mate, he noticed that the human had run into Sturaki. Pausing for a moment, he caught a glance from the witch which was clearly asking him to stay where he was, out of earshot and sensing range of the human. And, since it was unlikely she would do anything to hurt their bond after being so instrumental in formulating it in the first place, he allowed her to have her space and waited, silently, to see what she had in mind all the while preparing to detain his mate if necessary.

- - - - -

She could barely keep herself from rolling her eyes. Humans were such frustrating creatures. Why they had to make such a big deal out of such a little thing was beyond her. It was obvious that the dog demons belonged together. Anyone could see that. 'Anyone but a human,' commented the voice in the back of her mind and she sighed again.

She couldn't believe just how much time she had spent attempting to explain what was going on to them. 'Why did I even bother?' she wondered. 'It's not as if they'll even begin to understand it.' She mentally shook her head in frustration. She was going to give herself another headache if she continued to think about it.

After leaving the annoying beings behind again, she had decided to walk back to her quarters and try to get some more meditation in when she was almost run over by a figure in red with black hair and violet eyes. She had a second of shock before she realized that this must be Inuyasha's human form and gripped the red sleeve before its owner could bypass her, determined to find out what was wrong.

This desire was only increased when she, moments later, saw the youkai lord of the west appear around the corner, obviously in hot pursuit. Sensing that the child in front of her might be more willing to talk to her than to his mate, she asked the elder with her eyes to let her handle this and gave a slight nod of gratitude when he came no further.

Turning her gaze back to the child, she could see the frightened look on his face and practically feel the panic seeping off him into her own body. "Little one?"

"Look, you old hag, let me go. I gotta get outta here," he replied curtly as he tried to pull the material from her hand. He was strong for a human but no match for her currently.

"Not until you tell me what you are so frightened of."

"Feh. I ain't frightened of nothing," Inuyasha said with a huff.

"No? Then what were you running from, child?"

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Can't you tell? I'm human right now. No one can see me like this."

"Not even your mate?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in question.

"Especially not Sesshoumaru," was said with such surety that it caused her to wonder just what the hanyou thought his mate was going to do to him.

"Why not? Do you not think he would like to get to know all sides of you?"

"Hell no. He hates humans."

"But he has that little human girl with him, does he not?" she inquired trying to get him to see how ridiculous he was being.

She could see his resolve wavering. "That has nothing to do with this," he finally decided upon.

"How could that have nothing to do with this?"

Inuyasha turned away from her, "You don't understand."

"Maybe if you told me, I would."

"Why would I tell you anything, witch?" he asked, looking at her skeptically.

"Remember, I have seen your life, I have seen your streams, perhaps I can help you steer your course. After all, when I was visiting you in your dreams, you asked for my advice. I did not give it then, but perhaps I will be able to give it now."

"Maybe," he hedged, still unsure about whether to accept her help or not.

"How about we start with why you are afraid of your mate. Did he do something to you?"

"That's just it!" the hanyou turned human yelled. "He's NOT my mate! I'm NOTHING to him!"

"Don't be absurd child, of course he is your mate."

The human looked at her with tears in his eyes. "No, he's not," he whispered. "When we mated, I did not accept his mark."

Her eyes widened. Of all the possible trouble, she had had no idea it was of this nature. "Whyever not, child? I thought you wanted to be his mate."

The hanyou turned human thought about it for a moment and then tried to explain, cautiously. "Well, the demon really wanted to be his mate. The half-demon managed to be convinced by the demon because of mating season."

"But what about you?"

"I didn't trust him," came out as a whisper that she had to strain to hear.

"Why not?"

"After all the horrible things he had done to us in the past, I didn't trust him enough to give him power over myself. And now, I said I would give him a chance, but what if he doesn't want me anymore? I don't bear his mark like the demon and half-demon. I'm nothing to him," he said, getting more and more visibly upset as he continued to talk.

With a deep breath, he continued in a despairing voice, "I'm the one who wanted nothing to do with him. You don't know my brother like I do. He holds a grudge for a really long time. If I was him, I wouldn't want to see me. I almost destroyed his mating."

- - - - -

That was as much as Sesshoumaru was willing to hear. Now that he knew it was the fear talking rather than some preconceived plan to leave him forever, he could deal with it accordingly. And it had to be dealt with, immediately.

He had never heard of a partial mating before encountering his little brother's human self inside his head, but he had thought that was merely a symbolic thing, not that it meant that he, in all truth, had NOT marked the human side.

From his understanding, if he were to take the haori off his mate right now, he would not see a mark at all. He had never heard of such a thing. Although, he supposed it was possible that the mark was there, and it was simply that the human did not sense it. Human's had such weak senses, that that might just be the case.

In either instance, it was obvious to him what needed to be done. He needed to collect his mate, take him back to their chambers, and see to setting this side right. He could not have his young mate running off every time he turned into a human, after all.

As such, he stepped forward out of the backdrop where he had been listening. "Inuyasha," was all he said and his young mate's eyes turned fearfully towards him. While at one point he might have relished that fear, now it only made him feel sick. What must his mate think of him to believe he would harm him when he was defenseless?

Pushing forward regardless, Sesshoumaru stated, "We have much to discuss. You will come with me."

He watched the human in front of him back up shaking his head. It looked as if Inuyasha was going to continue backing up even farther but for the witch standing behind him, effectively blocking his path.

Sesshoumaru observed the frantic eyes of his mate turn to the witch. All she said in response was, "Go."

Now his little brother began to back away from both of them until he ran into a wall and looked back and forth rapidly as if searching for an escape route. But there was not one to be found. Sesshoumaru knew that even if his brother ran, he would easily catch him with only his human strength to aide him. He knew that his brother knew it as well.

The youkai merely stood and watched the younger boy for a moment before deciding that it did not look like he had any intention of making a move before stepping forward and holding out a hand. When no move was made other than to look at the hand in confusion, Sesshoumaru said, "I will not hurt you. We must talk."

"What if I don't want to talk to you?" came the muttered response from his beta.

Resisting the urge to lose his temper as he KNEW that would not help the situation, Sesshoumaru moved forward faster than a human could see and lifted his brother into his arm and fur. Mate in tow, the inuyoukai ignored the complaints of the boy in his arms and walked purposefully back to their chambers. This matter had to be settled tonight.

- - - - -

As always, thank you for reading and/or reviewing. I greatly appreciate both.


	60. Claiming a Human

The Prophecy

By: mshutts

Disclaimer: I own no one herein.

Chapter 58: Claiming a Human

A/N: For those of you who have already tried to read this once, sorry about that. The site messed up the formatting. Hopefully this is easier to read now. Please let me know if the formatting you see is still off. Also, I added in a lot more conversation indicators which should make following along easier so if you were confused before, I would suggest trying it again, it should be easier to understand now. Again, I appologize for the inconvenience.

oOo

Making sure to slide the panel shut all the way behind him, Sesshoumaru walked to their futon and laid his nervous mate on the surface before sitting next to the futon and looking at him.

He watched his younger brother squirm under his gaze for a moment before asking, "Would you care to explain why you ran, Inuyasha?"

"What do you care? You hate humans. I'm human right now so you hate me."

Sesshoumaru sighed inaudibly. How was he going to get his mate to see that there was nothing to be afraid of? "Do not put words in my mouth, little brother. I have never actually stated that I hate humans."

"Maybe not," the half-demon turned human conceded that point, "but you've called them filthy, worthless, and a whole bunch of other things."

"I have also called you such in the past when you were in your half-demon form. How is this any different?" Sesshoumaru said, trying to get his mate to see how ridiculous the entire situation was. But, as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew it had been the wrong thing to say. For now, instead of fear, there was malice shining in the eyes of his currently human mate. This, although it was preferred to the fear, would not exactly help the current situation.

"I knew it," the boy sneered. "You said you were going to change. You said you were going to be different. You didn't mean any of that!"

The youkai was finding himself at a loss for words. What was Inuyasha talking about? "I do not say things I don't mean, little brother."

"Oh, no? That's a load of crap! You said you would be different! You said you would change! You were lying to me!"

"That's a very serious accusation, Inuyasha. You know I do not lie."

"Oh no? Then what was that whole unmother thing years ago?"

Sesshoumaru mentally cringed. He did NOT like thinking about that incident. "That was a… mistake. Besides, that is far in the past. Why are you bringing it up now?"

All the anger seemed to be pushed aside as his young mate stood there silently with his jaw dropped. "A mistake? It was a mistake?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes," he answered with an inaudible sigh. He could not believe he had allowed this situation to degenerate to this point, "A mistake. One which I knew was a bad idea at the time. Honestly, I do not see how I could have sunk so low as to do such a thing no matter how angry I was."

Sesshoumaru stopped for a moment to contemplate his sibling. Inuyasha still was not looking as if he could believe this information coming from Sesshoumaru. Hmm, perhaps there was something he could do to help his young mate make a little more sense of this. It would mean giving up a bit of more his pride, but perhaps it was necessary.

"I am capable of making mistakes, little brother, just like anyone else," stated Sesshoumaru slowly.

"I know, I just didn't expect you to say it, that's all."

"So, why can you not accept that the way I have treated you in the past may have no bearing on how I view you currently?"

"You can't be serious. That would mean too much of a change for you. You can barely stand to be around humans. Don't think I haven't seen how you act around my friend," Inuyasha pointed out.

"Your friends do not know how to mind their own business. There are nosy and talk when they should be silent," Sesshoumaru said in annoyance.

"Yeah, ok, they can be a bit annoying sometimes, but that doesn't make a difference. You still can't stand humans."

Deciding that this tact was not working, Sesshoumaru decided to try a different angle. "What about Rin? She is human and yet I allow her to travel with me."

"Yeah, why DO you let her travel with you again? Cause, to be honest, you should really be leaving her here where she can be protected and not out and about. If I had had somewhere safe to leave Shippo all these years, I would have."

"What do you mean you had nowhere safe to leave him? What of that village by where you were sealed?" Sesshoumaru asked in curiosity.

"I couldn't leave him with Kaede," Inuyasha explained. "For the first part, it is not her responsibility to look after the runt, it is mine. For the second part, Kaede is too old to be taking care of a growing demon child. For the third part, Kaede already has her hands full with the sick of the village. It just wouldn't be fair or right for me to ask her."

"That is abnormally considerate of you."

"Hey! I can think of other people when I want to. I just don't often want to," Inuyasha said defensively. "But you never did answer my question. Why has Rin been traveling with you all this time?"

"Hmm, several reasons. Firstly is that she is, as you have pointed out, human. It has not been safe around here for humans until just recently."

"Not safe?"

"Hn. It has taken me these past few years to sort out those in my staff who would mean her harm from those who I can trust her with. The next time I leave, she will be staying here," Sesshoumaru explained.

"And you're sure she'll be safe?"

"Of course. Now have I allayed your fears or is there something else?"

"My fears?" Inuyasha asked, looking confused.

"Yes, this ridiculous fear you seem to have about me not accepting my own mate simply because he happens to be human at the time."

"It is not ridiculous. You CAN'T accept me."

"Why can't I accept you?"

"You hate me!" Inuyasha shouted in exasperation.

"I do not," Sesshoumaru stated with finality.

"Yes you do!"

"Whatever gave you that ridiculous idea?" Sesshoumaru asked, obviously having no idea where this was coming from.

The confusion set Inuyasha off into a rant or all his confusion and upset, "I ruined your mating! I destroyed it! I couldn't trust you and I ruined it! And now you hate me and never want to see me again!"

Sesshoumaru had had it. There was no way that he would allow this to continue on any longer. His mate just didn't seem to understand no matter what he said.

Deciding words were not enough to convince the inuhanyou, Sesshoumaru grabbed his mate by the back of his head and pulled him into a crushing kiss. He could feel the squirming, but chose to ignore it. This was his beta, he had ever right to kiss him whenever and wherever he wanted.

After a time, he allowed Inuyasha to pull back. Through great gasping breaths, Inuyasha yelled, "What the hell, Sesshoumaru! I'm human remember?"

"This does not preclude you from being my mate."

"Hungh?"

Sesshoumaru tried to explain calmly, "Human or not, you are my mate and, as such, the very idea that I would reject any part of you is ridiculous."

"But… I thought you hated humans," came the confused reply.

Sesshoumaru was very close to physically injuring his young mate despite the fact that said mate was human at the time. Hadn't they already covered this? Perhaps a different approach was in order. "You are not a human! You are my mate!"

It was a highly affronted hanyou turned human who replied, "Hey, I am too human!"

Finally driven to complete frustration, he once again decided to forego the talking and just show his mate how important he was. Besides, he still had to make sure that the human side of his brother was properly marked.

This thought in mind, he stripped the hanyou turned human of his clothes and placed him on the futon, pointedly ignoring any and all protests. He had had it. Once the younger male was in place, he knelt there looking at him with great interest. He had never seen his younger brother's human guise. Inuyasha had been much too adept at hiding it from him.

But, now that he could see what this being before him actually looked like, he found himself awestruck. The largest difference was of course the ears. They were no longer sitting on top of his head like bizarre antennae, they were now just normal, human ears. Not all that exciting at all.

Then there was the silver hair turned black. If he wasn't mistaken, it looked silkier than when it was silver. He made a mental note to check if that was the actual case before moving on in his inspection of the being beneath him. The skin was a darker shade than usual and the eyes were a deeper, darker hue as well. Although, the thing that really got him about the eyes was not their shade, but their depth.

This guise of his mate held emotions much closer to the surface than the other two forms. For the youkai, there was almost no emotions whatsoever, while the hanyou showed few, but those that were shown were deeply felt. Now there was the human, the human who, evidently, was the storehouse for the emotions of the other two. It was really quite extraordinary when he thought of it.

But for now, he could see confusion in the expressive eyes below him. "What?" came the curious, no longer upset voice.

"You are breathtaking," the youkai lord answered without thought.

The immediate response to this was a blush that stained the human's cheeks. And damn it, it made him look even more appealing! There had to be a law against being so attractive.

Unable to help himself, he kissed his helpless brother until he could feel the human struggling against him. Releasing him, he watched as his younger brother sucked in breath after breath. Unfortunately for the boy, the sight of his bruised lips only served to further entice Sesshoumaru.

Looking upon him, the elder youkai knew without a doubt that he had to have this creature beneath him. Now. But, in this thought, another disturbing idea popped to the front of his mind. Earlier his young mate had said that there was no mark on him. He had had yet to confirm this for himself.

To that end, he flipped the younger male, who was still trying to catch his breath, over in one fluid movement. Upon sweeping the long, black hair to the side, he searched his mate's back for any sign of the dog howling at the moon. There was nothing.

Panicking for a moment, he jumped over to his wardrobe door and pushed it aside, quickly striding to the mirror in the back of the wardrobe. Turning, he grabbed his hair in his one hand, flinging it over his shoulder, looking to see if his little brother's mark had faded from his back as well. Sighing in relief when he saw the tree was still present, he stopped and considered what to do about the problem with his unmarked mate who was currently sitting up on the futon, looking very confused.

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked, sounding a little unsure and afraid.

"You do not carry my mark," Sesshoumaru responded very matter-of-factly. There was no need for his young mate to be aware of just how much that little fact disturbed him.

"Well, yeah, I told you that already."

"I had not thought you were actually serious."

"Oh, well," the human looked at him nervously, "um, what do you want to do about it?"

"It will need to be rectified immediately," Sesshoumaru said with finality.

"Rectified?"

A nod.

"As in do the mating thing all over again?" Inuyasha elaborated.

Another nod as he came closer to the futon, indirectly stalking his mate.

"Oh, no," came the response as his young mate skittered back on his feet and hands. "You can't do that to me, I'm human!"

"It must be done. You are my mate."

"But I'm human! I'll bleed!" Inuyasha was beginning to panic at this point.

"I am aware of this," he responded in a monotone. Truly his little brother was highly amusing.

"I don't heal good!"

"I am aware of this as well."

"You can't just bleed me dry in the name of making me your mate!" Inuyasha screamed on the edge of hysteria.

He raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Now, why would I do that?"

"What? You think I don't remember what happened the last time? All that blood? I can't afford to lose that much blood as a human! I'll die, you bastard!"

"You cannot honestly believe that I would put your life at risk. There is another method for creating the bond."

The panic in the half-demon-turned-human's face went down a bit at that. "There is?"

"Of course. How else would father have mated your HUMAN mother?"

That seemed to settle him down considerably. "Oh, OK, so, how do we do this?" the curiosity was back.

He stopped to think for a moment. He knew that there was a way. There had to be one. His father had done something and it had not killed Inuyasha's mother. Now what had it been that he did?

"You don't know how to do this, do you?" came the resigned voice from his mate.

Looking up at him sharply, Sesshoumaru tried to give off an air of confidence as he replied, "Of course I know how to do this. Nothing could be simpler."

"Fine. You know so much? It should be easy to just TELL me what you plan to do."

That brought the elder up short for a moment. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. But now, if he went back on that, it would seem like he had been lying to his mate and he did not want to do that either. It was enough to drive him to the point of insanity.

Deciding to take the straightest route, he said, "It is not easy to explain, I will show you instead." He was hoping that sudden inspiration would come to him while he was in the act. Surely his youki would know how to mark the boy without causing him undue stress.

oOo

He kept reminding himself, 'He's human, I have to be careful. He's human, I have to be careful,' even as every fiber of his being wanted to plunge so far into his mate that there was no way to separate the two.

Just as he was about to reach his climax, he noticed that his claws had turned blue. The first time they had mated, he had been so far gone by this point that he had not even noticed the color change from the normal green for his poison. But this fluid under his claws, 'this must be what makes the mark,' he thought. Forcing himself to remain semi-coherent, he lightly scored his younger brother's back with the blue-tipped claws.

Watching in amazement, he saw the blue tinted red fluid seep out of the scoring and cover his entire back in a thin layer. And then, to his shock, for he had not scratched all that hard at all, the boy under him collapsed.

Pulling out of his newly marked mate, Sesshoumaru moved to where he could get a better look at him. His fears for Inuyasha's safety were allayed when he saw that the human was sleeping peacefully. Recalling that the mark making rendered one unconscious, he turned his attention back to his little brother's back.

As he watched in amazement, he could just make out a figure taking shape under the blue. He was sure that this would be the same image that was there before, but, as he watched it, the parts he could see did not look like what he could recall from the previous marking.

Could it be that there was a second marking on his little brother? One that did not look like it did normally? It seemed there must be even though it didn't make much sense to him.

Realizing that he would not be able to tell what it was fully until after the mixture on his back had been wiped away and not wanting to do it while it was being made for fear of leaving an incomplete mark, Sesshoumaru sat off to the side of his mate as a guard.

It would not do for his mate to be left doubly weakened and in danger.

After what seemed an interminably long time, Inuyasha began to stir. The swirling on his back had finally evened out into an image. This one was different from the previous one by a great amount, so much so that it was shocking to Sesshoumaru.

Rather than the image of the single dog youkai howling at the moon, there was now the image of two dog youkai lying curled up together. As Sesshoumaru looked closer, he realized that the dog youkai were in fact him and Inuyasha if Inuyasha had an animal form. Sesshoumaru considered what the difference in the marks meant for him while he awaited his mate's full awakening.

oOo

Oh, boy. Hey everyone. It's been a LOOOOONG time. I don't know if anyone is even still reading this, but I'm trying to see what I can do about maybe putting up some new chapters. I'm warning you right now though, it will be slow on the updates. I have quite a few other things I'm working on at the moment.

Until next time, reviews and just reading are always greatly appreciated.


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